HONOR

Since the first day of spring we have had a plummet in temperature and even a couple of snow dustings.  What happened to spring?

Yesterday, I had news of an old family friend’s passing.  Tomorrow I will take Mom with me to the funeral home to pay our respects (I cannot make it to the funeral mass on Monday).  Please pray for JMac’s family, that they may find peace in their grieving process.

I called the retail chain where I work on the weekends to see what my schedule was for Sunday.  I was told “You are not scheduled next week.” “All next week?!???  Not even Saturday?”I asked.  This worries me since this IS the permanent job.  Am I getting a vacation I did not ask for or am I getting laid off since they were just bought out.  We recently got a new store manager.  Is he testing how “his store” would run without a different person in each area for a whole week?  Are we getting fired by just not being scheduled?  There are rumors of games, tests & traps being set by this person.  Did I flunk?  If/when I leave any job; I want it to be MY decision.  It would be because I bettered my position at a job… or won the lottery (LOL).

My grandfather was a self made business man as a real estate broker, whose motto was “Doing business by the golden rule.” He did NOT want to get a reputation for doing anything for the greed of lining his pockets.  He wanted the reputation for a fair deal.  By this he got the respect of his workers, customers and the whole community.  Years after his death people were calling Grandma when they were ready to sell or buy again only to be disappointed that he couldn’t represent them.  They always ended the call with a compliment like “L always treated everyone honestly” and/or “with respect”.  This treatment brings customers back every time and garners referrals.  When are the big muckity~muck corporations ever going to learn this?????  It's called honor.  I fear this “golden rule” customer service died with Grandpa and JMac (who was one of Grandpa’s partners).

I honor JMac this weekend for he truly honored my grandfather's ideals and teachings by his continued "Doing business by the golden rule" after Grandpa's death.  I know Grandpa greeted JMac soon after he arrived in heaven... they are probably making plans to play poker or gin rummy soon.

Super Full Moon & 1st Day of Spring …

Today was the 1^st day of spring and it was following last night’s “super full moon.” We often joke about getting very crazy during a full moon and spring break often has the same reputation.  We had an “interesting” day cutting fabric.  We had a lot of odd requests.

I have a couple of prayer requests…

• First, one of our managers lost her fiancé’s father last night after being in a coma about a week from a massive heart attack at 60 years old.  Please pray for comfort during their grief.
• The other is for a regular customer who had a diabetic crisis while I waited on her.  I also noticed a scar from a previous heart surgery.  This one we called the Emergency Squad.  Please pray for her quick and continued recovery.

On the way home from work today, I picked up some seeds for herbs and vegetables.  I have a small sunny area where the herbs grow great in a window box on my stoop’s wrought iron fencing.  Last year I got a few tomatoes, sweet green peppers, and couple of zucchini before the squirrels got them.  In the German Village (historical area of town) the buildings date back to the mid-late 1800’s.  They have small patios or yards so I started planting in window box or patio planters for my vegetable/herb gardening.  

The rest of my space is mostly shady where I have flowers.  Yesterday, I saw the first crocus.  This really signals spring to me more so than a date on the calendar (Oh, and the orange barrels on the highway is another sign).

This is another way to survive… planning ahead & planting edibles if you have the space (no matter how small).  If you don’t have your own space, check into some community gardens or coops in your area.

     The Beatles sang “I get by with a little help from my friends…”  Well, thanks to all my friends’ prayers and help, thanks to the temp agency, and thanks to the shop orders, all of the utilities are current. D in UK: the vultures are shot down for this month. Their young hatchlings have not flown to the mailbox… yet. 

     I am now going to ask for prayers to be sent toward the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit out in the Pacific. 

     Yesterday (at the temp job) I feasted on leftovers from a meeting.  They catered international food to fit the topic of the training. Each course was a different country’s traditional dish. The dessert tray was full of Greek delicacies. This was the best meal they’ve had so far. It is company policy that we can only consume the leftovers at the office. 

      I have to throw away so much food that doesn’t get eaten before it goes bad. That is so difficult for me. Last week they had a soup, salad, & baked potato bar… there are 2 – one gallon zippered bags of soup in the freezer along with another bag of the blanched broccoli. I’ve been telling my co-workers, “break off a chunk of soup and zap it in the microwave.” On Monday, I will mix the few strips of fajita meat with a chunk of the vegetable soup and dollop some sour cream.

Not been taking the posts

You have been waiting a few days for this entry.  Here is what transpired.  I picked up a partial plastic cutting on my way to the temp job on Thursday. That evening I took Mom for her 79^th birthday dinner at my sister’s.  Friday evening was dedicated to “popping Patis” to make up packages for some orders that have been waiting for the new stock.  Early Saturday morning I finished getting the orders ready for the post office. 

When the bank opened, a savings account seemed to be in order for some money just received.  Also, since my pay checks are direct deposited to my checking, I set it up to transfer a good portion of them into the new account.  After all interest adds up eventually.  They had a special account where upon reaching $1000 in the savings the bank adds $50 and if that $1000 stays in the account for a year another $50.  It’s a calculated bet that I WILL at least qualify for the first reward.  If the temp goes permanent I WILL receive the second reward.  Everyone should check their banks for any similar accounts.

My next stop was to find a tire to replace the flat and return the spare tire to its reserve status.  Both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club did not have my size at this time.  They were the closest to the chain store where I work on weekends and now I had to go to work.  

I was originally scheduled for 5 hours but I ended up working 9 hours followed by a 10 hour day on Sunday.  I didn’t mind as much on Saturday because the lady I was scheduled with is now on a portable oxygen tank after being out nearly a month hospitalized with pneumonia and H1N1.  She was going to be closing our department alone.  However on Sunday, I thought it was foolish to schedule me (or anyone) alone for the last 3 hours when they were running a page of about nine 40% off coupons.  This logic fails me.

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."

~ Mark Twain

Persevering…

Many of the comments I’ve received from readers compliment me on my attitude.  I don’t always find it easy to be positive about troubles making the ends meet.  There are many people I try to think of when I get discouraged.  The common denominator was perseverance.  These are a few of the people who inspired me.

• My mother who went back to college part-time while being a single mother to 4 of her 5 children and working.  She graduated the year before I graduated high school. (Yesterday was her birthday.)
• My brother who believed I could do ANYTHING. He lived only 30 years but had more adventures than someone living well into old age.
• “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” ~ Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
• “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” ~ Christopher Reeve (1952 – 2004, paralyzed in 1995)
• “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” ~ Christopher Reeve, from speech at Democratic National Convention, August 1996
• “Victory belongs to the most persevering.” ~ Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)