Why hasn't anyone come up with day gloves for those of us with our hands in paper all day? I am currently fighting a losing battle with dryness and cracking. I cringe every time I must wash my hands (after visiting the restroom or flipping through newspaper), obviously something that must be done, but then wiping them on paper? Only to return to my desk and shuffle through papers. Not to mention the many paper cuts of all sizes. They would need to be as if we weren't wearing them at all, gloves we could type in, wipe in, WASH, and hopefully, gloves that would moisturize all day. Is that too much to ask?
I love being an inventor. Of course, I'm not really an inventor; I'm an envision-er. I've had many ideas over the years,not written down and so forgotten, but two of my favorites are recycling at the mailbox (my dad and I had a real catchy name for that one) & swing arm seats for cashiers that could be tucked under the grocery belt. Maybe you see the pattern. What will make life easier?
That's become a current mantra, though I didn't necessarily realize it until just now: Make life easier .. for everyone I come in contact with -- strangers, friends, relatives, ME! Of course what that looks like could be a million different things, right?
For me, it looks like cleaning out litter boxes, putting gas in cars, driving a daughter to school, keeping the kitchen fully accessible (fancy lingo for doing dishes), towels hanging in the bathroom, covers folded on backs of couches, the list goes on, doesn't it -- the myriad of little things I can do to make life easier for those around me.
So, here's my new and exciting life development: On Mondays (cleaning days) I allow myself a small home improvement, each week. Do the math. 52 times 1 small home improvement is going to get me a long way down that (seemingly) endless list.
I couldn't be more delighted.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
To Whom it May Concern
Dear Friends at the Kroc,
Greetings from a happy NNN resident! We are so pleased to have you with us! I have been coveting the position of Welcome Desk for several months now, having submitted an application before your job fair at the Palais Royale and again at that job fair, but my friend Melissa, a recent hire, advised that I do it again.
Initially, reading that the Welcome Desk Lead had (presumably) been hired, I was sad not to have even been considered, but after reading the qualifications and responsibilities of the Associate, I am convinced that I am your best candidate for that job. Why?
Because I love people, all of them. My favorite job so far, bar none, was as Welcome Desk Professional at Shell Point Retirement in Fort Myers, Florida. They preferred to call me Administrative Assistant, but most of my time was spent engaging and helping all manner of people. My dream job!
Because I have years and years of experience in an office setting and specifically in customer service. I know how to provide stellar service to one and all, having done that with the residents and staff of a group home we ran in Philadelphia, the residents and staff of Notre Dame's married student housing, Shell Point, and now funeral homes and families submitting obituaries to the South Bend Tribune. I also spent six years in Classifieds at the Trib, where I was my supervisor's go-to problem solver when we had an angry customer.
Because I am a highly proficient typist with well-honed grammatical skills and an excellent communicator in person and on paper; I have been working with computers for many,many years; I love the phones; I am a team player, gladly going the extra mile to help out when needed; I am always prompt and never sick; I keep myself in good shape; I'm strong.
I know that this is a very important position at the Kroc and I am certain that I can live up to your expectations. I hope you will allow me the pleasure of an interview. I am confident that my unique set of gifts and skills would make me an asset to your organization. All the best as you search for the right person; I hope your search stops with me.
With affection,
Cynthia W. Haas (Cyn)
Greetings from a happy NNN resident! We are so pleased to have you with us! I have been coveting the position of Welcome Desk for several months now, having submitted an application before your job fair at the Palais Royale and again at that job fair, but my friend Melissa, a recent hire, advised that I do it again.
Initially, reading that the Welcome Desk Lead had (presumably) been hired, I was sad not to have even been considered, but after reading the qualifications and responsibilities of the Associate, I am convinced that I am your best candidate for that job. Why?
Because I love people, all of them. My favorite job so far, bar none, was as Welcome Desk Professional at Shell Point Retirement in Fort Myers, Florida. They preferred to call me Administrative Assistant, but most of my time was spent engaging and helping all manner of people. My dream job!
Because I have years and years of experience in an office setting and specifically in customer service. I know how to provide stellar service to one and all, having done that with the residents and staff of a group home we ran in Philadelphia, the residents and staff of Notre Dame's married student housing, Shell Point, and now funeral homes and families submitting obituaries to the South Bend Tribune. I also spent six years in Classifieds at the Trib, where I was my supervisor's go-to problem solver when we had an angry customer.
Because I am a highly proficient typist with well-honed grammatical skills and an excellent communicator in person and on paper; I have been working with computers for many,many years; I love the phones; I am a team player, gladly going the extra mile to help out when needed; I am always prompt and never sick; I keep myself in good shape; I'm strong.
I know that this is a very important position at the Kroc and I am certain that I can live up to your expectations. I hope you will allow me the pleasure of an interview. I am confident that my unique set of gifts and skills would make me an asset to your organization. All the best as you search for the right person; I hope your search stops with me.
With affection,
Cynthia W. Haas (Cyn)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
OBITS II
This will be II of many, long as I keep my job in Obits as each day brings with it, as the Bible says, enough trouble of its own; thus we need not conjure up some more by our worries. Easier said than done, I am afraid, least as far as I can surmise thus far, and I'm pretty far down the road
Yesterday I had to edit obituaries for still-born Chayse, 8 month old Maci, 25 year old Adam, 57 year old Mary. Hard day, 'specially as a new Nana. And yet, for me, it's a particular blessing to be there, midst the grief and sadness, to ponder, pray, give thanks for a life, however shortly lived. It's a good fit.
Especially since what I (think I) long for is a totally different sort of job, more like the one I had in Florida as Front Desk/Greeter in the King's Crown Assisted Living at Shell Point, where I had personal interaction throughout the day with all manner of folk. Heaven.
Now I sit mostly quietly in Obits, my buddy Dave by my side, both of us wanting to put out a perfect day's worth, living a different sort of workday than our neighbors in Classifieds,where all is (usually) jollity and laughter. (Makes for a nice backdrop.)
And always there is that balance of young and old, rich and poor, well-loved and forgotten, the vast variety of humanity. What a gift to be able to share in the lives of so many in this small way, which actually, to me, is a very big way.
If you have a chance, pick up the local paper today or go to our website (sbtinfo.com/obituaries) and read Ms. Leyes' obit. Now there was quite a woman!!
Yesterday I had to edit obituaries for still-born Chayse, 8 month old Maci, 25 year old Adam, 57 year old Mary. Hard day, 'specially as a new Nana. And yet, for me, it's a particular blessing to be there, midst the grief and sadness, to ponder, pray, give thanks for a life, however shortly lived. It's a good fit.
Especially since what I (think I) long for is a totally different sort of job, more like the one I had in Florida as Front Desk/Greeter in the King's Crown Assisted Living at Shell Point, where I had personal interaction throughout the day with all manner of folk. Heaven.
Now I sit mostly quietly in Obits, my buddy Dave by my side, both of us wanting to put out a perfect day's worth, living a different sort of workday than our neighbors in Classifieds,where all is (usually) jollity and laughter. (Makes for a nice backdrop.)
And always there is that balance of young and old, rich and poor, well-loved and forgotten, the vast variety of humanity. What a gift to be able to share in the lives of so many in this small way, which actually, to me, is a very big way.
If you have a chance, pick up the local paper today or go to our website (sbtinfo.com/obituaries) and read Ms. Leyes' obit. Now there was quite a woman!!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Burgled
The Sunday after Christmas I was awakened by dogs barking at 5:00 am-ish and proceeded downstairs, where I was met by both dogs and husband coming up. Unusual. Husband is never up that early. Husband: We just had a guy in here, he was drunk, coming up the stairs, asked if Jessica was here, I told him no, he left.
And back to bed I went. But then more barking, and as I come down for the second time, I see flashlight movement on our porch. Turned out to be the police, who knocked on the door.
Turns out our intruder was going house to house kicking doors in. The one he visited after ours contained a man with a gun sleeping on a couch, who called 911 and successfully hooked up the intruder with the police.
Unnoticed by us, the guy had grabbed our daughter's purse on the way out, which was apprehended, in its entirety. Not only was our front door unlocked, but the purse was just inside on the arm of a couch. :-/
During the police investigation, which was, as you might imagine, a much longer intrusion than the first, our large and very sharp chef's knife was found atop our DVD player, just next to the stairs. Naturally, it was not there when we went to bed.
Long story short, when all was said and done my only reaction was complete and utter thanksgiving that things had not gone worse.Oh, and we're making sure to lock up and keep purses out of sight.
I think that's called dodging a bullet.
And back to bed I went. But then more barking, and as I come down for the second time, I see flashlight movement on our porch. Turned out to be the police, who knocked on the door.
Turns out our intruder was going house to house kicking doors in. The one he visited after ours contained a man with a gun sleeping on a couch, who called 911 and successfully hooked up the intruder with the police.
Unnoticed by us, the guy had grabbed our daughter's purse on the way out, which was apprehended, in its entirety. Not only was our front door unlocked, but the purse was just inside on the arm of a couch. :-/
During the police investigation, which was, as you might imagine, a much longer intrusion than the first, our large and very sharp chef's knife was found atop our DVD player, just next to the stairs. Naturally, it was not there when we went to bed.
Long story short, when all was said and done my only reaction was complete and utter thanksgiving that things had not gone worse.Oh, and we're making sure to lock up and keep purses out of sight.
I think that's called dodging a bullet.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
BAPTISM
My old pastor Len taught me a multitude of things from the pulpit, but one of the best has become habit over the years. He suggested that when we shower, we remember baptism - ours, our children's, Christ's own; the list goes on but I focus right in on my children, and it sure does me a heap of good. Thanks Len!
They are all wanderers in the desert, my children, and my heart aches for them to find the One who can and will love them as only He can, that way we all long to be loved. Fully considered, fully understood. To be known by someone like that; isn't it what we all want?
It is miraculous to me that we get to give that love away -- to everyone we meet. In fact, we don't just get to, but our marching orders, as it were, are to love with complete abandon, even the most unlovable, preferably the most unlovable. Why do we get to do that?! Maybe because once we experience Jesus' love, we want everyone to.
And so there is a constant and ever-changing flow of His love in all places, at all times. It seems to me that's one of the ways we see and live in the light, His light, now ours.
"The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:9-13
They are all wanderers in the desert, my children, and my heart aches for them to find the One who can and will love them as only He can, that way we all long to be loved. Fully considered, fully understood. To be known by someone like that; isn't it what we all want?
It is miraculous to me that we get to give that love away -- to everyone we meet. In fact, we don't just get to, but our marching orders, as it were, are to love with complete abandon, even the most unlovable, preferably the most unlovable. Why do we get to do that?! Maybe because once we experience Jesus' love, we want everyone to.
And so there is a constant and ever-changing flow of His love in all places, at all times. It seems to me that's one of the ways we see and live in the light, His light, now ours.
"The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:9-13
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sellin' Stuff
Last summer I hosted my first ever garage sale. I was inspired by my next door neighbors who hosted one on their front lawn, right on Portage, and made around $500! So on a Monday I purged the entire house and garage of anything I could get my hands on, bringing it all to the dining room. And for the next 4 days, there it sat.
We kept talking about pricing it. Someone suggested it would take 2 people to do it right. Seemed like we just didn't want to face the challenge. And then, the night before the sale, I took bull by horns and attacked with my colored circles and pen. It took less than a 1/2 hour to price the whole kitten kaboodle. :-)
My sister rolled in later that night from Virginia with my 4 year old great niece Jayden (my crew), and Saturday morning most of us were up before dawn setting everything out on the gigantic (former ping pong) tables my neighbors had used and no longer wanted. Our gig,complete with lemonade and cookie stand, was ready for business.
I only wish I had a journal entry for that magnificent day, selling my stuff to neighbors, strangers and friends. Eventually a daughter or two entered the fray, just sittin', sippin', smilin'. But the highlight of highlights was the end when, after rain had closed us down and we had roughly a quarter of our stuff still left under the tables to keep dry, we brought it all back out and put FREE signs up That's when it really got good.
There was the lady who just couldn't believe I was giving away the unfinished antique night stand that perfectly matched hers, or the guy who took away every last piece of artwork I had stacked on the handlebars of his bicycle! Good times watching from the living room window as people came and went,picking things over, over and over. Many a good short chat was had at the front door reassuring folk that it was indeed free.
When all was said and done, we had a small pile of sundries which sat on the curb for approximately 7 minutes.And then, faced with having someone haul the tables away, we slapped FREE signs on them, and in a matter of a couple of days they too were taken.
My croquet set sat next to the house for a good long while waiting for pickup, but it too finally went.
Now that's what I'd call a win win situation!!
We kept talking about pricing it. Someone suggested it would take 2 people to do it right. Seemed like we just didn't want to face the challenge. And then, the night before the sale, I took bull by horns and attacked with my colored circles and pen. It took less than a 1/2 hour to price the whole kitten kaboodle. :-)
My sister rolled in later that night from Virginia with my 4 year old great niece Jayden (my crew), and Saturday morning most of us were up before dawn setting everything out on the gigantic (former ping pong) tables my neighbors had used and no longer wanted. Our gig,complete with lemonade and cookie stand, was ready for business.
I only wish I had a journal entry for that magnificent day, selling my stuff to neighbors, strangers and friends. Eventually a daughter or two entered the fray, just sittin', sippin', smilin'. But the highlight of highlights was the end when, after rain had closed us down and we had roughly a quarter of our stuff still left under the tables to keep dry, we brought it all back out and put FREE signs up That's when it really got good.
There was the lady who just couldn't believe I was giving away the unfinished antique night stand that perfectly matched hers, or the guy who took away every last piece of artwork I had stacked on the handlebars of his bicycle! Good times watching from the living room window as people came and went,picking things over, over and over. Many a good short chat was had at the front door reassuring folk that it was indeed free.
When all was said and done, we had a small pile of sundries which sat on the curb for approximately 7 minutes.And then, faced with having someone haul the tables away, we slapped FREE signs on them, and in a matter of a couple of days they too were taken.
My croquet set sat next to the house for a good long while waiting for pickup, but it too finally went.
Now that's what I'd call a win win situation!!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
OBITS
Things were certainly lively in obits yesterday!! We processed 54 of them, with an additional 12 pendings.Big numbers kept my fingers flying until 5:15 instead of the usual 3:30. Honestly, after a day like that, I am happy to be off today.
It's fun though. Especially when there is time to read each one in its entirety. Not the short death notices so much, which mostly give names of survivors and service times,though sometimes there is space to slip in one important fact, but the long story obits filled with wonderful nuggets.
I encourage you to read them. And maybe someday my employer will take me up on my idea of a weekly "treasure hunt" in obits, to encourage a younger readership. We'll see...
And please, write your own obit!! And make it good, as (maybe?) only you can do. It's your last hooray as it were, until we meet up with you again, so give us the best you've got. You'll be happy to know that as obit prices go, ours are some of the cheapest around. :-)
It's fun though. Especially when there is time to read each one in its entirety. Not the short death notices so much, which mostly give names of survivors and service times,though sometimes there is space to slip in one important fact, but the long story obits filled with wonderful nuggets.
I encourage you to read them. And maybe someday my employer will take me up on my idea of a weekly "treasure hunt" in obits, to encourage a younger readership. We'll see...
And please, write your own obit!! And make it good, as (maybe?) only you can do. It's your last hooray as it were, until we meet up with you again, so give us the best you've got. You'll be happy to know that as obit prices go, ours are some of the cheapest around. :-)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
THE LIGHTS
They're about to come down, much as I hate to do it. I've been silently thanking each house I pass in the wee hours of the morning or after dark, for keeping their lights aglow; I've done the same. But our electric bill was actually a whole $20 larger this month, so reason must win over my desire to buck it.
But it's okay. The Light, the True Light that gives light to everyone came into the world and stayed here. How appropriate that Advent and Christmas once again led us deeper and deeper into darkness, only to be shattered by the Light. There is something so comforting to me in the repetitiveness of things. I think it's one way that "whatever our lot, God continually teaches us to say, it is well, it is well with our souls."
And we have certainly gotten to experience the light this year like no other in recent memory, what with all the abundant sunshine. Yesterday I was forced to throw caution to the wind and pedal like the speedster I really am (only on a bike, mind you). I'll pay for it today, but it was worth it.
But it's okay. The Light, the True Light that gives light to everyone came into the world and stayed here. How appropriate that Advent and Christmas once again led us deeper and deeper into darkness, only to be shattered by the Light. There is something so comforting to me in the repetitiveness of things. I think it's one way that "whatever our lot, God continually teaches us to say, it is well, it is well with our souls."
And we have certainly gotten to experience the light this year like no other in recent memory, what with all the abundant sunshine. Yesterday I was forced to throw caution to the wind and pedal like the speedster I really am (only on a bike, mind you). I'll pay for it today, but it was worth it.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
from Dream Work by Mary Oliver
Monday, January 9, 2012
Life in the 'hood is good.
Especially on a morning like this and so many others with clear skies, winter crisp air, a full moon, the train whistle and somewhere just behind, the river running.
And did I mention the daily 6:00 pm hymn of the bells? I've never learned where it comes from exactly but at the drop of a hat of an evening stroll the bells begin and you are suddenly in OUR TOWN.
I just learned that friends and neighbors who stand for all of us in fighting to keep our local arboretum alive have won the battle!
Though I come from the very rural country roads of little Galena, OH, the hood is where I want to be (only minutes, don't forget, from rural beauty in every direction). It is a re-creation of sorts of University Village Married Student Housing, where we lived for 10 years, only with wider borders, where we get to greet one another, meet together, play & sing together, worship together.
When we first moved onto Portage, knowing very little about buying the right house (the first one we wanted had 0 closets; we hadn't noticed) not everyone was happy about it. But some 12 or so years later, I love it more than ever.
Community is where it's at for me, and I get to live among people who feel passionately the same.
Good times.
And did I mention the daily 6:00 pm hymn of the bells? I've never learned where it comes from exactly but at the drop of a hat of an evening stroll the bells begin and you are suddenly in OUR TOWN.
I just learned that friends and neighbors who stand for all of us in fighting to keep our local arboretum alive have won the battle!
Though I come from the very rural country roads of little Galena, OH, the hood is where I want to be (only minutes, don't forget, from rural beauty in every direction). It is a re-creation of sorts of University Village Married Student Housing, where we lived for 10 years, only with wider borders, where we get to greet one another, meet together, play & sing together, worship together.
When we first moved onto Portage, knowing very little about buying the right house (the first one we wanted had 0 closets; we hadn't noticed) not everyone was happy about it. But some 12 or so years later, I love it more than ever.
Community is where it's at for me, and I get to live among people who feel passionately the same.
Good times.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
SMART MOP
I am a plugger, there's no doubt about that, and this morning I must plug a mop, ingeniously named the SMART MOP. And would you believe I bought it at our local Farmers Market and would you also believe that it was invented by a man in Michigan. In addition, it has a lifetime guarantee, a telescoping handle (very sturdy), it is extremely lightweight, and the simplest mop I have ever used.
It comes with your choice of (or both) "cloths" (one for hardwood, one for more groovey floors). Just dampen with whatever you use to clean (water or vinegar work fine), toss on to the floor, place your mop on top (it instantly sticks to the cloth), and start mopping. The cloth measures at least 5 x15 inches, so it's a quick job. The cloth can be laundered up to 200x, though I haven't laundered it once. Why? It gets rinsed thoroughly after each use. It was $30.
Seriously, one of my life quests has been finding a mop worth using, and I've found it. In fact, I plan to get in touch with the seller and get permission to sell it myself; may as well since I have been known to spring up from a couch, in good company, and do a live demonstration.
Soon, I will have a review of a lint roller which does not operate with sticky papers that you buy; in fact, you never need buy a lint roller again. Good news for us furry beast owners! :-) Stay tuned...
It comes with your choice of (or both) "cloths" (one for hardwood, one for more groovey floors). Just dampen with whatever you use to clean (water or vinegar work fine), toss on to the floor, place your mop on top (it instantly sticks to the cloth), and start mopping. The cloth measures at least 5 x15 inches, so it's a quick job. The cloth can be laundered up to 200x, though I haven't laundered it once. Why? It gets rinsed thoroughly after each use. It was $30.
Seriously, one of my life quests has been finding a mop worth using, and I've found it. In fact, I plan to get in touch with the seller and get permission to sell it myself; may as well since I have been known to spring up from a couch, in good company, and do a live demonstration.
Soon, I will have a review of a lint roller which does not operate with sticky papers that you buy; in fact, you never need buy a lint roller again. Good news for us furry beast owners! :-) Stay tuned...
Saturday, January 7, 2012
MY BIKE
H.G. Wells said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."
Biking is one of my great LOVES.
I discovered the Townie by Electra while living in Florida and bought it thinking I would bike the 9 miles to work; however, the afternoon thunderstorms made me rethink that plan, so I ended up leaving it at work and pedaling around the island as many times as I could before going in. Those were some days! Watching the sun come up over water while pedaling round the little island at Shell Point, where my dad now lives. I told myself, Cyn, SAVOR this; it's as good as it gets! And it was (there are lots of good as it gets).
On one side of the island was the orchid greenhouse, tended lovingly by hard core orchid folk. I was part of a program whereby a very nice resident would deliver me a prize-winning orchid to enjoy on my desk for a week or two and then return to switch it out for another!
When I moved home, I had my Townie shipped and we actually (pretty amazingly) put it back together. It has been my source of transport to and from work ever since. People surely complain about me, out there biking against traffic when I can't be on the sidewalk (also illegal), but I'm sorry; I refuse to bike south on Portage with the sun in all of our eyes, not able to see when the person is veering off to hit me. There have been way too many tragic biking deaths and I've had my share of close calls. I'm just trying to stay alive.
Biking the river is where it really gets good, though, either direction, but I bike north, along Riverside, where there are some twists and turns, ups and downs, just up to Cleveland and back.
I am so thankful to be a biker. Whether biking through town or along our magnificent river, I feel like i own the place. Not sure what that's about, but being able to get from place to place on a bike makes it feel more rural somehow. Best of all, though, my beloved mother was a biker, too, and I have wonderful memories of seeing her biking and being struck by her childlike-ness.
Mr. Wells, you were right. :-)
Friday, January 6, 2012
THE GUESTS RULE
Strangely, I live in a house where the others who live here don't like guests, namely mine, though they never bring one in. :-/ That fact has always flummoxed me; how, God, did I end up with folk like these? But I did, and they did, too, after all, putting up with my wacky hillbillyesque ways, so we must all do the best we can, right?
Well, I finally (won't tell you how long it took) figured out that I can have guests when they are away and guess what? That happens on a fairly regular basis. :-) So you see where this is going, and actually it's already gone, because I hopped right on that realization (how do you say thank you and duh at the same time?) and it has been changing me (and my house) ever since. I now have people in when the opportunities present themselves (like they will this weekend :-) and that means I want a clean and staged house (i.e. the downstairs). Thus the daily litter pan clean-out (Day 3 was successful :-) btw.), more frequent vacuuming, etc. ALL GOOD.
And that's a good thought for me to begin with today.
Well, I finally (won't tell you how long it took) figured out that I can have guests when they are away and guess what? That happens on a fairly regular basis. :-) So you see where this is going, and actually it's already gone, because I hopped right on that realization (how do you say thank you and duh at the same time?) and it has been changing me (and my house) ever since. I now have people in when the opportunities present themselves (like they will this weekend :-) and that means I want a clean and staged house (i.e. the downstairs). Thus the daily litter pan clean-out (Day 3 was successful :-) btw.), more frequent vacuuming, etc. ALL GOOD.
And that's a good thought for me to begin with today.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
FAITHFULNESS
At my church we do a lovely thing called the SERMON FOLLOW-UP, whereby one of the members of our Prayer Team writes a very mini synopsis of the last week's sermon, including the scripture, a question for thought, some words of a hymn we sang and petition for prayer for selected youth in the congregation. . So the question this week was:
What would faithfulness look like for us today if we didn't calculate all the possible outcomes of our actions?
Great question, especially based on the amazing sermon that went with it, and today I just happen to have an answer! :-)
I have resolved to take full responsibility for my house's pet odor. It's as simple as that. As you can imagine, 5 cats (6 litter pans) must require frequent cleaning. Think again -- and even after being raised by my dear mother Carolyn, who kept two cats in her very bedroom, along with two cat pans, cleaned them TWICE a day and never had bad pet odor. Forgive me, mom, that it has taken so long, but finally I have accepted the teaching. :-)
So today is Day 3 of DAILY litter pan cleaning, not such a bad task when you own a GARDEN ROCKER. Purchased at the local CVS while in Florida (and transported north), it was under $20 and one of the best purchases of my entire life. They are available here, I believe, by that name. Basically it's a saucer on the bottom, a big butt tractor-type seat on the top and a strong cylinder in the middle holding those two parts together (green). Takes all the pressure off your back and allows you to rock in all directions to reach stuff. BRILLIANT. So, I am here to report that daily litter cleaning takes mere minutes. So HAPPY!!
Another product I must plug while discussing odor was purchased recently at Good 'n' Cheap Vacuums on Monroe St. Called Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Crystals (Ingredients: water & natural extracts of lime, pine needle, aniseed, clove & cedarwood), and made LOCALLY in Rising Sun, IN, a 16 oz. tub, which is supposed to last 6-9 months, is $14.99. But once it runs out, you take it back for a refill and it's only $8. The lady who works there said she's got one at every litter box (my goal). :-) But let me say that having just ONE in the basement (with the litter boxes) is doing a mighty fine job. AND, best part, it is non-toxic, non-hazardous, biodegradable, safe for humans, pets and the environment. www.fresh-wave.com
So, things are smelling much better around here (not to put too fine a point on it), but certain of you will know of what I speak. Forgive me, ALL, for taking so long to really LISTEN to my wise mother. Better late than never, once again, proves a fantastic adage.
And miraculously, by the grace of God, I will do this chore for the benefit of all without any Cinderella-esque attitude. Now I call that PROGRESS!! :-)
What would faithfulness look like for us today if we didn't calculate all the possible outcomes of our actions?
Great question, especially based on the amazing sermon that went with it, and today I just happen to have an answer! :-)
I have resolved to take full responsibility for my house's pet odor. It's as simple as that. As you can imagine, 5 cats (6 litter pans) must require frequent cleaning. Think again -- and even after being raised by my dear mother Carolyn, who kept two cats in her very bedroom, along with two cat pans, cleaned them TWICE a day and never had bad pet odor. Forgive me, mom, that it has taken so long, but finally I have accepted the teaching. :-)
So today is Day 3 of DAILY litter pan cleaning, not such a bad task when you own a GARDEN ROCKER. Purchased at the local CVS while in Florida (and transported north), it was under $20 and one of the best purchases of my entire life. They are available here, I believe, by that name. Basically it's a saucer on the bottom, a big butt tractor-type seat on the top and a strong cylinder in the middle holding those two parts together (green). Takes all the pressure off your back and allows you to rock in all directions to reach stuff. BRILLIANT. So, I am here to report that daily litter cleaning takes mere minutes. So HAPPY!!
Another product I must plug while discussing odor was purchased recently at Good 'n' Cheap Vacuums on Monroe St. Called Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Crystals (Ingredients: water & natural extracts of lime, pine needle, aniseed, clove & cedarwood), and made LOCALLY in Rising Sun, IN, a 16 oz. tub, which is supposed to last 6-9 months, is $14.99. But once it runs out, you take it back for a refill and it's only $8. The lady who works there said she's got one at every litter box (my goal). :-) But let me say that having just ONE in the basement (with the litter boxes) is doing a mighty fine job. AND, best part, it is non-toxic, non-hazardous, biodegradable, safe for humans, pets and the environment. www.fresh-wave.com
So, things are smelling much better around here (not to put too fine a point on it), but certain of you will know of what I speak. Forgive me, ALL, for taking so long to really LISTEN to my wise mother. Better late than never, once again, proves a fantastic adage.
And miraculously, by the grace of God, I will do this chore for the benefit of all without any Cinderella-esque attitude. Now I call that PROGRESS!! :-)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
A rough night and that ol' train whistle keeps a blowin'.
You know the kind - oldish teen leaves for an indefinite period of time and you manage to awaken in the middle of the night to find her still out, and then spend the next indefinite amount of time (for me, it's usually quite a bit) obsessing over all the horrible things that could have already happened/be happening. When she (finally) texted me at 5:02 am to say that no, she would not be home, she would be spending the night with her friend, I wanted to reply: Technically, hon,morning has broken, but I was too spent and relieved to say anything but ok. (She had actually been asleep when I texted her much earlier.)
I, like so many others around these parts, am fortunate to live within earshot of a train,or at least a morning train. Maybe I get too busy and other-minded to notice if it comes at other times. But it's especially pleasant and comforting when it comes after a night like the one I just had. My mom read The Little Engine That Could (apparently) many times to me as a child, and do you know, to this day, when reading it to my own children (soon I will be reading it to my first grandchild!), when I turn a certain page to say a certain thing this wonderful feeling goes flitting through me (some form of a deja vu I'm thinking), but I am always newly amazed that I still do that. Maybe that's where the love of trains started. :-)
I love thinking up ideas for eternity, so I'll close with one I just thought of: train rides!!
I, like so many others around these parts, am fortunate to live within earshot of a train,or at least a morning train. Maybe I get too busy and other-minded to notice if it comes at other times. But it's especially pleasant and comforting when it comes after a night like the one I just had. My mom read The Little Engine That Could (apparently) many times to me as a child, and do you know, to this day, when reading it to my own children (soon I will be reading it to my first grandchild!), when I turn a certain page to say a certain thing this wonderful feeling goes flitting through me (some form of a deja vu I'm thinking), but I am always newly amazed that I still do that. Maybe that's where the love of trains started. :-)
I love thinking up ideas for eternity, so I'll close with one I just thought of: train rides!!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Beginning, Part 2
Well, I didn't exactly plan on Part 2, but there were other things I needed to get out before moving on to what this day has to offer, and I'm already behind. :-)
I wanted to give a shout out to Margaret Richard of Body Electric fame, with whom I have been "friends" for many years now. She calls me "Over 50 and a Fox." Only one who does; I'll take it. :-) Yesterday her food for thought ended with, "So, pick up those weights and please don't use age as an excuse." GOOD NEWS for all of us!! I've done just that and it feels so good. This came on the heels of a recent nightmare: While sticking my arm straight out to my side, my tricep fat hung 10 inches down and 8 inches across, like a wall. I obviously dreamed this because of actually seeing my tricep in the mirror that very day and bemoaning this truth: if you don't use it, you lose it. UGH. But the message was clear. And I am so happy to be back with Margaret at 6:00 am each morning (thank you PBS!).
Here's to EXERCISE which, according to REAL AGE'S website (a favorite), is one of just 3 simple rules of health. The other two: Eat right and Sleep enough. Sounds like a plan...
I wanted to give a shout out to Margaret Richard of Body Electric fame, with whom I have been "friends" for many years now. She calls me "Over 50 and a Fox." Only one who does; I'll take it. :-) Yesterday her food for thought ended with, "So, pick up those weights and please don't use age as an excuse." GOOD NEWS for all of us!! I've done just that and it feels so good. This came on the heels of a recent nightmare: While sticking my arm straight out to my side, my tricep fat hung 10 inches down and 8 inches across, like a wall. I obviously dreamed this because of actually seeing my tricep in the mirror that very day and bemoaning this truth: if you don't use it, you lose it. UGH. But the message was clear. And I am so happy to be back with Margaret at 6:00 am each morning (thank you PBS!).
Here's to EXERCISE which, according to REAL AGE'S website (a favorite), is one of just 3 simple rules of health. The other two: Eat right and Sleep enough. Sounds like a plan...
The Beginning
Yesterday I realized something more concretely than before: I need to communicate. Just get things out there. So, why not blog it, I thought. Hardly matters if anyone reads it or not; it will be therapeutic for me. At least I'll get it out.
This thought may have started on Sunday at church, when I walked through the doors to find a dear church member at church for the first time since a bad fall, in her wheelchairs, surrounded by some of her adoring fans. Right before her fall, she had decorated her gorgeous 8 ft. Frazier Fir for Christmas. After her fall, she insisted it find a new home. So her doting daughters got to work undecorating it, and it landed in my daughter's place, where it became another glorious thing (I'm always quick on the draw for free stuff). I had not (ashamedly) written her a thank you note yet, but I was able to effuse with her in person over the wonderfulness of all that, at which point she told me that she had been at our local grocery store chatting with the checkout person who not only knew my daughter(s) but knew the story of the tree, at which point I said, "Don't you love it?! South Bend so often feels small town." To which she replied, "We're/It's all connected."
So true. I guess that's why I want to write; because that's how I feel that connection the most, in communication with others.
Hope some of you feel the same and will be inclined to comment. But no worries. One of my biggest life lessons so far is: Just because you want feedback doesn't mean you'll get it. :-/
This morning I posted our new mayor's post-swearing-in comments on FB. Well worth reading, I think. Here is his closing sentence:
"At its best, a city is more than a place. It is part of us, and it frames our most important relationships. The way we relate to our city informs the way we relate to each other,and ourselves. To believe in our city is to believe in ourselves. To expect more from our city is to expect more from ourselves. Just like being in the company of someone you love, being in a great city brings out your best self."
I think my city has brought out my best self, thanks to so many factors, but one of the biggest, surely, is that river which runs through it. Must be looking especially splendid this morning, covered in snow.
This thought may have started on Sunday at church, when I walked through the doors to find a dear church member at church for the first time since a bad fall, in her wheelchairs, surrounded by some of her adoring fans. Right before her fall, she had decorated her gorgeous 8 ft. Frazier Fir for Christmas. After her fall, she insisted it find a new home. So her doting daughters got to work undecorating it, and it landed in my daughter's place, where it became another glorious thing (I'm always quick on the draw for free stuff). I had not (ashamedly) written her a thank you note yet, but I was able to effuse with her in person over the wonderfulness of all that, at which point she told me that she had been at our local grocery store chatting with the checkout person who not only knew my daughter(s) but knew the story of the tree, at which point I said, "Don't you love it?! South Bend so often feels small town." To which she replied, "We're/It's all connected."
So true. I guess that's why I want to write; because that's how I feel that connection the most, in communication with others.
Hope some of you feel the same and will be inclined to comment. But no worries. One of my biggest life lessons so far is: Just because you want feedback doesn't mean you'll get it. :-/
This morning I posted our new mayor's post-swearing-in comments on FB. Well worth reading, I think. Here is his closing sentence:
"At its best, a city is more than a place. It is part of us, and it frames our most important relationships. The way we relate to our city informs the way we relate to each other,and ourselves. To believe in our city is to believe in ourselves. To expect more from our city is to expect more from ourselves. Just like being in the company of someone you love, being in a great city brings out your best self."
I think my city has brought out my best self, thanks to so many factors, but one of the biggest, surely, is that river which runs through it. Must be looking especially splendid this morning, covered in snow.
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