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No longer on the river and, again, an empty nester. Back to living on Fleming Island and making some more friends!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Just lovin' these periodicals!

While I am not a voracious reader of books, mainly fiction books, I do like to read non-fiction writings and right now, the Forward in Christ magazine. When you hear about people devouring a book, that is what you should picture when I read this FIC when it comes each month. January's issue had wonderful articles regarding the death of a child as well as how a pastor is called upon to offer comfort when a man is killed working on machinery. In the same issue is a question/answer portion where someone asks about the sin of abortion, the deliberate end of a child's life, in harsh contrast to the loss the families of the accident victims are experiencing, mentioned elsewhere in this periodical.
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This month's issue is chock full of articles regarding creation and our Creator, as this is the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. The short column which really got my attention and stirred my heart was called "Don't Worry About Tomorrow" and is on a page decorated with sunflowers and daisies. Some of the items suggested for dealing with stress and worry is to "do something you love", where we are encouraged to participate in a hobby or put our talents to good use----Yes! "Strengthen relationships"---Yes! "Work on the things you CAN control"---Yes! "Spend time in the Word and in prayer"---Yes! Good stuff!
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Another interesting article is written about stealing. The author wrote about how easy it would have been for him to walk out of the bookstore, where the discount books are located between two sets of exterior doors. What kept him from taking something what did not belong to him? "Thou shalt not steal". The simple answer is the 7th commandment but then the author relates about his stealing when in kindergarten and then formulating huge, extravagant lies about how he actually got the coins. He was punished, in his recollection, for the sin of stealing by his parents, but did not recall being punished for the elaborate set of lies he used to try and cover the crime. Interesting....
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Last week as Linda and I were heading for the door to take her to the airport, Justin called me in frantic-mode. He wanted to know if I was home becasue he needed me to leave him a check for the rent plus a late fee. This was nearly 9 days after it was due. Somehow or another the rent was not paid directly through my checking account, so he excitedly was telling me how there was a note on the door that morning about the rent, etc. I asked him the reason for his waiting until the end of the day to tell this to me and he said he thought it might clear up before he needed to call me. Right, it would clear up on its own.....I hastily wrote a check for the rent and late fee and left it on the counter for him to pick up. Whew! A rush of stress before leaving for the airport---again!
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After dropping Linda off and heading back home, I gave him a call to make sure he got the check and paid the rent. I asked about the decision to wait to let me know, when earlier I could have simply paid it on-line and been done with it. After some hemming and hawing, he finally said he did not want to get me upset or whatever. Well, waiting until the "last minute" accomplished that quite nicely, thank you. Once more we had the discussion about how NOT telling me stuff to avoid "upsetting me" (a.k.a."accountability") is very close to lying to me.....withholding important information like this, which affects my well-being, is border-line lying. He is, in fact, postponing or trying to avoid, the discussion in the first place. DON'T DO THAT! Just tell me what is going on, let me handle it in a timely fashion, etc. He told me was looking for his rental agreement to see if there was a loophole "we" could use to get out of paying the late fees. Of course not! We owed the late fees, fair and square. Certainly I was not pleased about it, but that was deal we signed when we completed the paperwork. I used to encourage him to be a lawyer, a politician, or a writer for the New York Times because he was such an able prevaricator. I like how this author in FIC points out the connection between the thievery and lying.
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Did I just throw Justin under the bus? I hope not. I used him because of our familiarity with each other. We have "reasons" or "excuses" for doing the things we do, some more noble reasons than others. Who among us is not guilty of similar sins? This article adequately helped me to consider these things such as the temptation to take what is not mine, to tell the simple lie to get out of some mess, or the thoughts of ill-will I have toward other people. Even my "anger" (a.k.a. dismay) with Justin for withholding valuable information! The author reminds us that we are saved from these sins through the death and resurrection of our Savior, and that we are to be Christlike in our living, "partakers of the divine nature". Good stuff!

Typing with the plastic gloves on again!

Here I am, baking my silver remover into my hair while basking in the sunshine at my window. Such a waste of product it is, for only a small portion of my silver remover is used since my hair is quite short. Martie and I had talked about sharing the bottle but found that did not work as she needed the entire bottle of goop for her longer locks. Since I had so much leftover, I decided my green shirt needed some blotches added to it, so now there is a new shirt to use for painting! Good thing I chose something that had already pretty much outlived its usefulness. These little balloons on the tips of my fingers make me chuckle!
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There was no Bible study this a.m. which also means no lunch with the ladies afterward due to President's Day. Good thing I got my chicken fingers yesterday, the balance of which I will devour today. Instead of staying in all day as my original plans were, I will have to go to the store to get fresh cat litter and food, plus more soda. Joanne asked me last night why I don't just get 10 cases while I am at it and I said because it is too hard to get it upstairs and then store it. I do have a large closet in my bedroom, guess I could put it in there......Justin will be coming after work today to do some things for me and I will ask him to carry up the litter and heavier things for me, as I have to take care of my back. Getting old is not for sissies!
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Oh, I am so excited now! Emily just sent me an e-mail asking me to come over later on to chat. In fact, we are going to have dinner together! We have lots to talk about, and I want to see their pictures from their 10th anniversary cruise from last week. One of the best memories I have from their wedding is when they came down the aisle after being declared husband and wife, one sole pair of hands applauded---Timmy Day! Those Lutherans just are not accustomed to such outbursts of glee, maybe they are now! Justin sang "Happy Birthday" at my brother-in-law's wake.....my guys!
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Okay, now no more bags on my finger tips as I have rinsed the remover from my hair, turning the color of part of my neck, the faucet in the kitchen, a towel, and some of my counter top in the bathroom. Except for the cloth items, the silver remover comes off of the surfaces, making my neck quite raw from scrubbing. My friend, the plumber, is coming tomorrow to replace the leaking disposal for me. Steve said we will not need to turn off the water supply to do the replacement and I hope he is correct about that because we would need to get into Gus's unit on the first floor to shut off the water for the entire column of the building that mine is in, since one of my "main" faucets is non-functional and will be replaced in March. Oh, please, let the leak just be from the disposal!!!!!
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Joanne did lots of sleeping and reading during her recuperation from this determined "bug" that has been plaguing her. It seems her daughter also got sick once she returned to OH so that means it was most likely not food poisoning after all. Joanne was still suffering some cramping and diarrhea events this a.m. but was going to work anyway. She can come home if she feels too ill to stay. The pain killer warning label said not to drive so she is not taking that pill, and we had a good laugh when I reminded her that it cautioned against "driving or singing" while taking this medicine! She wants to sing so said she won't take the pain killer. Maybe I should!