Why the Post Office is in Trouble

...or at least, in my opinion.
Last week we had lake effect snow in our area, but the band didn't really stall over the top of us, so we only got about a foot total. The first day of the snow, I went out and shoveled the sidewalk perpendicular to the street. A kind neighbor who, I think, knew my husband was out of town, did the sidewalk parallel to the street with his snow-blower.
The second day, I watched the weather and thought, "Well, there's not that much new snow, and I hate to shovel and then have to shovel again after it stops." So, I called the guy who has been doing yard jobs for us recently and left a message for him to come and shovel when it was convenient.
Later that day, I noticed the mailman on the other side of the street. I was sort of watching for him, because I had some letters that needed to go out that day, and of course, this close to Christmas, I was expecting to received some mail.
Currently the houses on either side of us are vacant, and the walks there are not shoveled at all. From my sewing table on the second floor, I saw the mailman go out in the street when he came to the house on the east side of ours and continue past our house and the one on the west side. I ran downstairs and out on the porch. I called to the mailman who was now two houses away, "Did you skip me, because my sidewalk wasn't shoveled?"
"Yes," he called back, and kept walking.
I would have chased him to get my mail, but I didn't have my boots on.
I couldn't believe it. All he had to do was walk up the driveway, the end of which the thoughtful neighbor had snowblown....there was no mound to climb over.
I took a ruler out and measured the depth of the snow on my walk...it ranged between 3 and 6 1/2 inches.....hardly a deterrent to a young adult male in heavy boots.
Now mind you, it was 4 pm and he was probably tired and anxious to finish his route, but I get lots of mail which he, by his choice, had to carry the rest of the route and back again the next day.
I also expect that the houses on either side of us not being shoveled out contributed to what he did, but that isn't my fault. I can't be expected to shovel out two properties I don't own....not at my age anyway. I'm in good shape, but I'm not exactly a teenager anymore.
There's this thing called "work ethic" that seems to be lacking in a huge percentage of the population.
So today, there was a promotional piece in the mail from the US Postal Service saying they would deliver holiday stamps to my door.
#1 It's a little late for that.
#2 They can't even deliver my mail if they don't feel like it.
Sigh.
I don't suppose they are interested in my opinion, but customer service is important.

Christmas Cookie Sermon #2

Today I took thumbprint cookies to church. I showed the plate of cookies to the kids and asked them if they knew what they were called. No one did. I told them they were thumbprint cookies and asked if they knew why they were so named. One of the girls offered that I had probably stuck my thumb in the middle of each one.
I described how I had rolled the dough into balls, rolled each ball in egg white and then in chopped nuts, placed the balls on a cookie sheet, and pressed my thumb into each one. After the cookies were baked I filled my thumb imprint with frosting.
God is not exactly described as a cookie baker in the Bible, but He is described as a potter. He takes the clay, shapes it as he desires and when He is finished, He puts his stamp on the vessel created.
I suggested that if we allow God to shape us and put His imprint on us, He fills that imprint with something good, just the way I filled the thumbprint with frosting. The themes for our Advent candles are hope, peace, joy and love....all things God wants to fill us with.
So let's allow God to put His imprint on our lives.
Everyone, including the adults, enjoyed the cookies.

Texting on Ice

Last weekend when the family had gathered for Thanksgiving, my fourteen year old grandson spent a good part of the weekend texting his friends back home. However, when I took some of the grandkids ice-skating, the phone stayed in his pocket.

Today I took some grandkids ice-skating again, and honest, I saw a teen girl skating around the rink texting. I use the term skating loosely, because you really can't do any serious skating without watching where you are going...especially on a Sunday afternoon when the rink is crowded.

I informed the teen granddaughter who was with me, that if I saw her texting on the ice, I would disown her.

I actually think having such technology is wonderful for people who have something genuinely important going on in their lives. A doctor might be able to spend a few extra minutes with his/her family until receiving the message that a patient is prepped and ready for the OR. A business owner might be able to concentrate on some crucial project until informed that his signature is needed on an outgoing document. But, what goes on in the lives of most teenagers does not even come close to qualifying as "important" in my opinion. It is possible to live a fulfilled life without knowing that your friend has just found the cutest shoes on sale at the mall.

Evidently I am way too old to understand this phenomenon.

Christmas Cookie Sermon #1

I baked gingerbread men today and frosted them this evening. Tomorrow I will take them to church for my children's sermon. I will tell the story of the old woman who baked a gingerbread man only to have him hop off the baking sheet and run away taunting her with, "Run, run as fast as you can...you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man." The Gingerbread Man encounters other people and animals, and each time he runs away while calling out the same line.

Finally he comes to a river and doesn't know how he will cross it. Along comes a fox who speaks to him kindly and offers to take him to the other side. All the Gingerbread Man has to do is sit on the fox's tail. Once he is in the middle of the river and the water gets higher, the fox suggests that the Gingerbread Man move to his back. A little further on and he suggests that the Gingerbread Man move to his head. With a toss of his head, he flips the Gingerbread Man up into the air and snaps him up in his mouth.

I will use the story to make the point that there is real evil in the world, and sometimes we don't recognize it. Just because a person offers to help us in some way, doesn't mean that they have our best interests in mind. It is easy to get into a really bad situation through a series of small moves that we don't realize are putting us on the brink of disaster. The wise thing to do is not to take the first wrong step.

The Bible says we are to avoid all appearance of evil. (I Thessalonians 5:22) If we enjoy dancing around on the edge of wrong, we will eventually find ourselves on the fox's head.

Near Miss

Yesterday we woke up to a light coating of snow on the ground. This first appearance of snow resulted in a number of accidents around the area. One in particular was of interest to me.

A woman in a pickup truck pulled out to pass, decided she didn't have adequate room, and lost control of the truck when she tried to return to the driving lane. She hit an on-coming car head-on sending the occupant to the hospital. The accident occurred on the stretch of road I travel on my way to work. Yesterday I did not work.

But...

The day before yesterday on my way to work, a person in a pickup truck pulled out to pass and did not have adequate room. The truck was coming straight at me on a section of the road where there is guardrail, and therefore, not enough room for me to move all the way onto the shoulder. I braked to a near standstill, and the truck returned to its own lane just in time.

I wonder if it was the same driver.

A similar scenario happens to me on this stretch of road two or three times a year. In one area where there is dotted line indicating a safe passing area, there is also a curve limiting visibility. I never pass there having seen near misses on more than one occasion on that spot.

Life is, I think, full of near misses. Some of them we are aware of when they occur. I suspect there are others of which we are blissfully ignorant.

I thank God for His protective hand.

I am Thankful-Part 2

Now that Thanksgiving Day is over, I am thankful...

*for the invention of the crockpot which kept the spiced cider warm for all day enjoyment.

*for the backyard raspberry bushes whose fruit produced a most excellent pie.

*for the pumpkin pie brought by Michelle and the pecan pie Bill got at his favorite bakery, so that I didn't have to make ALL the pies.

*for peace in the household...no major fights broke out between siblings or cousins.

*for an adult son to carve the turkey.

*for the same son who cheerfully did everything I asked of him.

*for a gracious new daughter-in-law who tolerates the madness that is our family.

*for a husband who knows the location of the vacuum and how to use it (picture here the condition of the dining room carpet after the meal).

*for weather warm enough that some of the exuberant play by grandkids could occur outside.

*for a sweet little four-year-old granddaughter who was at her other grandma's this year, but called to say she missed me.

*for the oldest granddaughter noticing that the youngest grandson was throwing the tails from his shrimp under the radiator. It would have been most unpleasant to find these at a later date due to the odor.

*for a good night's sleep that restored my energy and made the throbbing in my legs and feet disappear.

*for the goodness of God in every way and all the time.

I am Thankful

Leafless branches silhouette against a gray sky on this cool November day. My house is strangely quiet....it is the lull before the storm of people and noise and general chaos. At this point, the only family members who have begun the gathering are my son and his wife...arrivals from California on the red-eye. She is napping, catching up on sleep she missed on the plane. He is out and about town, catching up with friends he has missed while away.

I know I am teetering on the precipice of frenzied activity, so in this quiet moment, I will be thankful.

I am thankful that last night I had a comfortable bed in which to sleep.

I am thankful that I could roll out and take a warm shower.

I am thankful for a car and gas to get to the airport and back.

I am thankful that two refrigerators are stocked with food to feed the family who will be here over the next few days.

I am thankful that my house is big enough to accommodate the family gathering.

I am thankful that I still have enough physical and mental stamina to cope with the expected level of activity.

I am thankful that God is always good. We may have difficult experiences, but He is good.

I am thankful for the gracious hand of God on my life....guiding, protecting, propelling in the direction He chooses.

I am thankful for this breath and the next one.

I am thankful that God's love for us is beyond our ability to understand.

I am thankful.