Family Drama, or, I'm Glad we Live 1,000 Miles Away

Every family has one high maintenance member, am I right? That member will usually be a needy female. Selfish, immature, a general pain in the rear end.
We have one. She is a user, and feels that the entire human race owes her. She won't hold down a job. She is always on the hunt for a man to support her and validate her. Once she lures one into her web, she treats him like dirt. He cannot escape quickly enough.
She has nearly bankrupted her parents. They have to pay her bills, rescue her from whatever state some man has abandoned her in. She is a nightmare.
She has recently destroyed her parents marriage. And she announced her intent to do so.
Her mother thinks this she-devil can do no wrong, so this monster knew exactly how to manipulate her mother so she could break up the marriage.
Why did she do it? Because her father told her he'd had enough of her foolishness and that the wallet was no longer available to her.
Rather than get off her 36 year old fanny to take on an adult role and learn to fend for herself, she told her mother some lies. She destroyed a nearly 40 year union.
Some people are  the devil incarnate. I don't know how this person lives with herself.
I feel anger and sorrow.

Hurt Feelings

Today at work, my day started out well. I've been working hard, trying to meet my own personal goals. Again, selling ads in this economy is a challenge but I'm still attempting to do the best I can and not get frustrated.
I went for a walk on my lunchbreak and it was sunny and warm. There were some black clouds but I wasn't going far and thought I'd be Ok.
Suddenly, a storm arrived with 35mph winds. Totally unexpected.
I was caught at a local business and had to phone my job to ask if someone could come pick me up.
Well, you'd think I'd requested someone's kidney.
Certain coworkers find any type of deviation from their usual day to be either frightening or frustrating. So my little phone call asking for help was a problem.
As I was waiting, a citizen offered me a ride and I was on my way back to work within minutes.
Well, my job had sent a coworker after me but I was already gone. He had to come back and got a little bit wet.
I'm sorry.
I got a call to my desk telling me I owed the coworker who came after me a lunch. Really?
He drove the company car over. So he's not out gas money. He got a few minutes out of the office. A little 3 minute paid break, if you will.
I run errands for coworkers, take proofs over for other people. I use my own vehicle.
So the upshot of this experience was this: I have got to stop being so sensitive. My current place of employment is definitely not the place to be a sensitive person.
I've gotta toughen up, shrug these little moments off and continue to do my work.
And pray. I gotta pray.

Eye surgery for the daughter

In Virginia right now. Leaving my daughter's apartment in approximately 2 hours, taking her to Portsmouth so she can have PRK surgery to correct her nearsightedness.
It's quiet right now, she's laying on the sofa next to me, dozing. I don't think she slept well last night. She's very nervous.
I had Lasik surgery myself in 2000 to correct extreme nearsightedness. It was successful and I'm still thrilled with the results.
Doesn't mean a person won't worry that she will be the one in a million who will be the failure in the chair, and lose her sight permanently.....
Anyway, I'm happy I can be here to help her and baby her (as if she'll allow THAT!)
Pray for God to guide the surgeon's hand, please!

A Chilly October morning

I flipped the themostat over to the "heat" function when I got up this morning. The temperature read 67  degrees. Too cold for me and as I was the first person out of bed, I felt entitled to warm up the house.
Yesterday, I removed the sleeveless shirts from my closet and put them into storage. Took out most pairs of shorts and stored them as well. I'll keep the workout shorts in place for a bit longer. I think we will warm back into the low 80's as the week progresses. However, I'll be in Norfolk, VA.
Time to study my Sunday School lesson so I have some idea what we're to discuss today.
Then perhaps a walk at the Gordon walking track this afternoon, once the chill outside burns off.
Should be a terrific day!

Living the fashionable life via media

I am not what you might consider "fashionable". Well, maybe a tiny spark happens here and there, and I always know when I hit a mark with my outfit. But I don't have the time or energy or, let's be truthful, the funds to make fashion a daily part of my life.
I make do with separates, mostly tops I love, and pants that I can mix and match with all these many tops I have. I accessorize with scarves, necklaces and bracelets. It's all I can manage to do. But I don't look like I dressed in the dark, and I'm cleaned, pressed, and best of all, dressed correctly for the occasion. So that's successful, right?
But here's the deal. I love LOVE The Rachel Zoe Project and Project Runway. It's a terribly guilty pleasure, seeing fabulous, expensive, wonderful clothing and bags and shoes and jewelry. I love to watch the magic of taking all these components and creating a pow! look.
So I live vicariously with the couple of shows I manage to watch each week. My fashion fix. My guilty pleasure.

Baptism!

I returned to church in 2011. I felt the need to reach out to God, and find more meaning in my life.
My friend Diane stopped by my house and invited me to come to her church. She was not pushy at all, and she read me clearly. She knew there was some pain involved in my decision to stop attending church many many years ago, and that made me realise that avoidance of that pain was keeping me hostage.
There was a time in my young teens when church and school were the only safe places for me. My church family and my friends at school were the only family I had during those hard lonely years. My aunt (who my brother and I lived with)was mentally deteriorating and becoming violent toward us, and as  it became obvious that Martin and I were no longer safe there, the decision was made that the aunt would have to be hospitalized and Martin and I would have to be removed from that home and sent back to our mother.
The agony of leaving my church family so abruptly was so difficult for me. That church was truly my sanctuary. I was devastated.
So I didn't attend church for 41 years. I couldn't. I was afraid to commit to possible hurt again. Yes, I did drop into a church here and there over the years, but there seemed to be nothing for me there.
And yet I knew something was missing in my life. I knew it was a relationship with my Lord.
I took 3 weeks or so to consider accepting Diane's invitation. And one Sunday morning, the time was ripe.
I sat in the back of the church and listened carefully to the worship going on around me. It seemed joyful and easy.
Calvary Baptist Church in my little town is small and intimate. There is humor in this congregation and I feel relaxed and comfortable there.
I began attending Sunday School to learn.
And then the desire to be a member of this church manifested itself. I asked to join and was accepted. I was satisfied to attend Sunday School and the worship service every Sunday.
Then I heard the voice telling me that I must be reborn and begin my walk with God in earnest.
So today I was fully immersed and washed of the sadness and sins of the past, to recommit my life to God.
I'm joyful and looking forward to my life in the Lord. I consider myself a baby Christian now, and look forward to learning with all the excitement of a child.

The positive, the negative

You know, life can be tough. Trying to keep control over life is impossible, unless one cuts people, places and things completely out. And we really can't do it so we let ourselves get mired down in the negatives. I've been doing what I can to keep my spirits up, a seemingly impossible task some days.
So let me remind myself of my blessings in life right now:
My new found faith in the Lord. It's a true comfort to me. I have a church family now, and am learning and growing in the Lord.
My darling dear husband. How did I get lucky like this? He's my best friend, he's my heart.
My son and my daughter. They are wonderful young adults. They aren't perfect, but who is? But these are a couple of decent people who will add to the world, and I'm tremendously proud of them both.
My little orange kitty. He's a blast. He makes me laugh and I like to wake up to him cuddled up next to me. I like to have him purring on my lap. He's a very cool cat.
My job. Well, okay, it's frustrating trying to do my job in this economic climate. It's very frustrating. But I have an income coming in and that's a good thing. I figure I have about 6 years of working left to go and I hope that my job lasts until retirement.
Delta Airlines- which is already ready when I am! Gil and I take our little trips- approximately one per month, and it seems to strengthen our bond. Travel together is such a treat for us.
So on the balance, these positive blessings outweigh the negative things that happen in life.
I'll reflect more on this list, and try to place the negatives aside, as best I can.