Only a vessel

On Saturday evening, hubby and I took both children to the mall to let them find something just because. It wasn't their birthdays, and it wasn't a Christmas gift either. They had been doing really well around the house and in school and we just wanted them to get something because we love them. I am not a mall person, but I know they would probably want to go. So I pulled out the Belk credit card and told them their limit was $25.00 each. I know it doesn't sound like much but it was an appreciation from us to them. Our 13 year old son was determined that he would find something no matter what it was. He said even if he had to buy a pack of underwear, he was gonna get it because we didn't have to do it. I was like, "Thank you Jesus for such an humble young man."

However, that 16 year old daughter of ours had a different attitude. She saw some jeans she wanted and I told her to go ahead and get them. She was very indecisive and walked around Belk for quite some time until she brought me to a pair of shoes. I looked at the shoes and thought to myself, "She has lost her everlasting rabbit mind, cause no rabbit in his right mind would have even tried me like that." These shoes cost $80.00 American dollars! Had she been on something? She must have been cause I specifically said $25.00. So I asked her how did she get 25 from 80....she said that she just FIGURED I loved her that much to do it for her. I'm like Tina Turner, "what's love got to do with it." I told her that she was not getting them shoes and that she could go back around the corner and get them jeans she saw. Well, she decides that if she can't have the shoes, she didn't want anything.

Hubby tried to talk to her and I wasn't gonna talk to anybody. I looked at son who had found him a nice shirt and I looked at hubby and I said, "Is everybody ready to go?" Hubby was hesitant and said to daughter, "You sure you don't want to look for anything?" Her music was in her ear and her arms were folded. She shook her head no and looked the other way. I made my way to the counter and I didn't give it a second thought. When we got home, Ms. 16 year old went to her room sulking...and I'm like, what the heck for because she knew the deal was 25.00 and that was it. Later that evening, her head starts hurting and I started thinking of how God says that vengeance was his. I started thinking about just how exactly does God deal with vengeance. I thought: Now we took the kids to the mall and the 16 year old was really showing some ungratefulness...could this be vengeance? I don't know.

Our way is not God's way. I am not here to understand God's purpose or His plan. If he wanted me to know it all, then I don't think I would have been made just a little lower than the angels. I think I would have been his right hand man giving him the peace sign and my "power to the people" fist. My point is this: I don't understand why we have to endure certain things, such as ungrateful children, nagging co-workers, selfish people here and there, headaches, pain., etc......could this be God's vengeance upon us for something we have done in our lives? I am only a vessel that will be used in many ways, bent and shaped and molded, Only a vessel where I will withstand harshness and many cracks. I am only a vessel that has so much to take in and so much to put out. I am only a vessel.

Lovingly yours,

Let the church say AMEN!!

When I got home from work on Wednesday, we sat down to eat and hubby asks me if I mind if our next door neighbor goes to mid-week service with us. I don't mind but he knows not to just spring stuff on me at the last minute either. So it was time to go and our neighbor comes hopping across the lawn. I say good evening and the conversation between he and hubby took off from there. Hubby said, "let me see what kind of Bible you got". I am already embarrassed just HOW he said it. I have told him over and over again that it's not merely WHAT you say, but HOW you say it. So Mr. Neighbor shows hubby the Bible and it says New American Bible...hubby says, "Oh no, you can't use this Bible, you need a New King James Version for our church." I was flabbergasted. No, seriously, my mouth flew open. I mumbled out the side of my mouth, "There is nothing wrong with his Bible."

So hubby and Mr. Neighbor got in this debate about the word of God. Mr. Neighbor asked hubby was it a sin to drink. Hubby said that the sin ain't drinking but the sin is getting drunk. They went on to talk about how Jesus turned water into wine and Mr. Neighbor wanted to know if Jesus tasted or sipped on any of it. In my mind I'm thinking just read the word for yourself. We are driving and I can hardly wait to get to the church because the two of them are getting on my nerves. Hubby then says to Mr. Neighbor, "Do you ever open up your Bible at all because it seems mighty new." In the name of Jesus, please let me just see the steeple of the church and I don't need to wait for him to park, I'm gonna just jump out and walk the rest of the way.

Finally, we arrive at the church (THEY ARE STILL TALKING) The car was barely in park good when I jumped out and hurried away. Whew....Now can the church please say AMEN!!

Lovingly yours,

The "F" words

This isn't even what you think it will be. Not even close. What I am talking about is Family, Food and a Funeral. Ok, so we went to Picayune, MS to attend my sister-in-law funeral. Is it ok to say it was a nice funeral? Or is that like an oxymoron? Anyway, it was nice. It took us three hours to drive there but on the way there, hubby wanted to listen to his jazz cd so I thought I could make that happen. I had to first eject one of my cd's out of the cd changer for his to go in; but when I went to eject cd#6, the darn thing got stuck and didn't want to come out. So I trying to fidget with it and at the same time, hubby tries to lean over and get it out. I tell him to just focus on driving and I got this. He's yapping about why is it stuck, why won't it come out, has it ever done this before and all I can say is: "SHUT UP AND DRIVE!!!"

So ok we get to MS and everyone is waiting at my husband's niece house for the family car....everyone is not there yet. Why do we have to go through this? Folks know to be there but just dragging and dragging. OMG...get a move on!! Family....you gotta love 'em.

After the funeral, we are in line at the fellowship hall. A sista is hungry like crazy. I look at the food and say to my daughter, "Looks like we gonna be going to Burger King." I mean we were like number 15 in line and there was a smidgen of this, and a hocus pocus bowl full of that...and I was hungry for real. Next time we get on the road, somebody please remind me to take a few snacks in my purse. I did get the CD out while everyone was at the grave site. Whew!! Cause I know I wouldn't have heard the end of that.

Lovingly yours,

Ok, now what?

Amazing. It's 3:00 a.m in the dog-gone morning and it's so odd that I am fully awake. I am just lying here in bed thinking about stuff I shoulda, coulda, woulda. The kids made it home safely from the fair, hubby is next to me sounding like a bear just chased him around a building and then up a tree and me, just here doing nothing. There should be some type of law for people such as myself who are up at 3 something on a Saturday morning. Am I insane? No way am I claiming that. A ham sandwich sounds nice right about now. Why don't I see anyone on messenger of all nights, I meant of all mornings. YAWN!!! Well I will try to close my eyes because daylight will be peeping through pretty soon. Anybody wanna share a bag of popcorn with me with white cheddar??? I really do believe without a shadow of a doubt that hubby has captured the bear and riding him like a horse. The bear doesn't have a chance anymore.

Two teenagers gone...is this reality?

I can hardly believe it. Hubby and I will have both kids out the house tonight, or will we? They are suppose to go to the fair with friends and I just hope they get gone. Ain't no telling what me and hubby will do with the house to ourselves for a few hours. Heck, he might have himself a stripper tonight with heels. Nahhhh...maybe we can make a few prank calls; you know the thing you used to do when you were teenagers BEFORE there was caller ID...Nahhhh. I think we will just settle for a nice movie without any interruptions. Yeah, that does sound nice....but the PERFECT night would be if hubby found somewhere to go and left me alone so I could turn all the lights off, position myself on the couch and watch the movie alone. But since I'm stuck with him, I guess he can stay.

Lovingly yours,

It's all in a name

How in the world did our ancestors get the word period out of menstruation? I mean, I've learned in school that we stop at a period, so why isn't this not applied in life? Why isn't it called comma or semi-colon, since we pause at a certain point in life. I could say, "Girl, yeah I'm on my comma today."

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Are there one fish, then two fish? Are is it two fishes? Doesn't it seem strange that cactus is singular but cacti is plural? I think it should be two cactuses because cacti really sounds like some kind of disease.

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Can somebody, anybody around the world tell me what the heck is gout?

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Who is they? Or should I say, Who are they? I hear it all the time. "They said this, they said that." I just need to know who they are so I can punch them in the lip sometime.

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Who names their precious baby Dick? Is that short for something? I can understand getting Tom out of Thomas, Bill out of William, Dan out of Daniel, Rob out of Robert...but Dick???

Ok I'm done here.

Lovingly yours,

Bad planning on your part

With my department being the largest one on campus, it's bound that both copiers we have will somewhat be busy more times than others. With that being said, one of my instructors has an 8:00 a.m. class and comes in to run copies.......check this out.....at 7:52 in the dog gone morning.

I just looked at him like this when he screams out my name and says that the copier has a jam.

So I'm saying to myself, "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." I am not about to hurry up and stop doing what I'm doing to take care of a copier situation.

First, the bad planning on his part meant that his stuff wasn't gonna be ready in no 8 freaking minutes.....Second, that is why we have an assistant to make copies for them in advance but this is only effective if they leave what they need copied like two days in advance and my assistant can put it in their mailboxes.....Third, he knew last week that he needed these copies for today, so why wait until the last minute.

He then looks at me with this pathetic look and says, "Oh I have to get to class." Ya'll know I almost made his suffer.....but the kindness in me said, "Leave me your stuff and I'll bring it to your classroom".....AND I had to add a BUT in there......"but don't make this no habit." I finished up his copying and took it to his classroom. He let out a sigh of relief with a great THANK YOU! I said, "Maybe you want to get here earlier or copy your stuff in advance." He said he would keep that in mind. The next time, I may not be as nice. I could be having a bad hair day or something.

Lovingly yours,