Spared

Sometimes we focus more on the bad things that happen to us more than the bad things from which we are spared.  Today, I backed my small car out of a parking lot space at the same time that a large truck was backing out of its parking space.  Of course, I checked before I put my car in reverse, but saw nothing.  I checked again while backing and stopped when  I saw the rear of a truck quickly heading for my driver side window.  If my window had been down, I could have touched the back of the truck without sticking my full forearm out.  I blew my horn and the truck stopped.  It was a close call.  I was spared from a bad circumstance, and I audibly gave thanks for being watched over.
You can probably think of a recent time when you were spared from a bad circumstance because you were being watched over and protected.
Giving thanks,
Sylvia

Congratulations

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a celebration for a remarkable young lady.  She is a faithful Christian with a quiet, observant nature.   I watched her grow up in the church.  Long ago, she was a student in my teen Bible Class.  She has been awarded a Master's Program study opportunity in another country, and I believe this is a blessing.  We celebrated her because of her accomplishments and because of who she is and because of how much more she will grow.   It is great when you get to watch young people push forward and  use their talent to do what is right and what will help others.
Like her father stated at this event in her honor,  "I am hound dog happy and peacock proud!"   All of her well-wishers felt the same way!
Take care,
Sylvia

Ignore, Pray

Sometimes, an effective way to deal with  the negative behavior of others is to ignore the behavior so as not to reinforce it by giving it attention.  For example, a person makes teasing remarks to you because he/she  wants to get on your nerves. If you ignore this behavior, it may diminish, because the teaser does not get the desired reaction from you. 
Sometimes it is best to say a prayer for the person with the negative behavior, as well as for yourself.  For example,  drivers who nose their vehicles out of a parking lot just enough to be in a lane of  passing traffic,  and then  stop.  They cannot enter the lane because of traffic, but they can cause you to veer into the left lane if you can.  This is a problem if there is traffic in the lane to your left.  So, you end up trying to drive around the vehicle that is partially in the right lane and partially in the parking lot. Drive carefully around these motorists and say a prayer.  It is better to say a prayer  than to say something else.
Enjoy your weekend,
Sylvia

Pretty People

A party planner and his client meet to plan for a holiday party.  When they discuss the wait staff at the party, the planner informs the client that it costs more to have  attractive waiters and waitresses work the party.  Non-attractive staff were described as overweight and not pretty or handsome. I think the terms were roly poly,  bellies out, versus models and beautiful people.  Also referred to as more pricey were the wait staff who could speak English well.
Since this was a television program, I do not know if the party planner was joking or not.  I have been to parties with waiters and waitresses, but I can't say I have paid much attention to what they looked like.  I did treat them with respect, because that is the right thing to do.   It seems more important to hire competent party workers than to pay more if they are attractive.  However, I have never given a party where I employed wait staff.  The parties I have given were about good people and good food, and having a plain old good time.
Smiles,
Sylvia

Mom's Birthday

I just returned from a birthday lunch with my mom, my sister, two of my brothers and my sister-in-law.  It was a wonderful blessing to again celebrate our mom's birthday with  her.   She always wants to go to Red Lobster, so that is  where we took her.  She always gets the Admiral's Feast meal, so that's what we encouraged her to order.  She always gets full from the salad and biscuits, so she says she'll take the majority of the entree home for another meal later. We encouraged her to do that today, and she did.  There was lots of laughter and good will.  It was the same mother, the same restaurant, the same meal, several  of the same family members, but even deeper family love.
We all felt blessed.  If your mom is still here with you, send her some love today.  Perhaps you can plan to celebrate her next birthday with her. If your mom is no longer here with you, think of her and give thanks for the good memories you have of her.   If you are a mom, be the best mom you can be.
Take care,
Sylvia

Birthday Gifts

During the first week of August, five of my local loved ones mark their birthdays.  I make sure to get 5 birthday cards and 2 gifts.  I only get gifts for my mom and one friend.  My mom gets a gift because she is my wonderful  mother; no other explanation is needed.  My  one friend gets a gift because she and I have been sister friends since kindergarten, and we long ago established the practice of gifting each other on our birthdays.  The other 3 people are important to me also, but we established the birthday card-giving practice instead.  This is cool with me, because I tend to buy gifts that I like for me as gifts for others.  As a result, a gift for one female friend may become 2 gifts, one for the friend and one for me.  I  did well today, and only purchased gifts for the 2 birthday ladies.   However,  that  does not mean I won't return to the store later this week and buy that adorable  plastic, insulated water cup with the drinking straw attachment for me.  I will simply get the one with the pink trim, since I got my friend the one with the orange trim!
Smiles,
Sylvia

Stings

Tomorrow marks day 7 of my wasp sting.  It happened last Tuesday in the church parking lot.  I was minding my own business, chatting with some of the Noon Prayer service attendees.  I felt something land on my right forearm, so I lightly brushed away what appeared to be a big mosquito.  I thought nothing of it.  A couple of hours later, I felt a stinging soreness in the front of my right thigh.  I checked and saw a puffy reddish spot; it was about 3 inches in diameter.  Because I have been stung by yellow jacket wasps before,  I recognized the sensation.  What I thought had been a mosquito had been a smaller version of a yellow jacket wasp.  Also, it had stung me through my denim jeans!  The insect was small, but the sting was mighty!  I cleansed the spot and got out what I thought was a stinger.  For the next few days, I rubbed alcohol and ice on my thigh to ease the sting and the itch that came after it.  The spot grew to the size of a small saucer and was hard and warm to the touch.  Finally, on day 4, my skin began to look and feel normal.  I guess that wasp did not appreciate being waved off by me.
I know I appreciate the blessing of  healing.
Take care,
Sylvia