I Needed This Today

 Recently, I had to move. Recently, as in we spent the first night in our new place Sunday, April 23rd. I'm not going to go into the particulars now: I'll save that for a future post. However, this move has been...a lot, physically and emotionally. But this post isn't about that.

With everything going on, I got up this morning and thought, "I just can't do it. I just don't feel like going to work."  I sat on the side of my "bed" and felt close to tears; however, Rita isn't a crier. Plus, today is Administrative Professionals Day, and I'm an Administrative Professional so I had to go to work. Otherwise that wouldn't have been professional! So I did what I had to do to get ready. I said to Gabriella, "It would be so nice if I got to work and I had flowers." She said, "I wish I'd get flowers too!"

So I decide to go to Wendy's to try their $1 breakfast biscuit on my way to work. I would have gone to Dunkies to get a tea, but the line was out into the street. So I knew I wouldn't have any hot tea because Wendy's doesn't have it, so I pulled in there where there were NO cars. I got my biscuit and an orange juice and went on my way.

I got a good parking space so that was good. Then I gathered my things and trudged into work. Of course the first door was locked so I had to trudge to the other office door, that thankfully was open. I went in, looked at my desk -

And there were flowers!! My boss had gotten me like this big coffee mug with flowers and butterflies on it, with a lovely set of tea roses, greenery and a pink and black plant in it as well, with a glittery butterfly attached. I loved it! And she also gave me a beautiful card which included a Dunkies gift card. It was just what I needed today!

When I went into her office to thank her, she said she was so glad I liked the planter because she said it reminded her of me. I just adore her! And then for lunch, she took me to the Administrative Professionals' luncheon at the Courtyard Marriott in Lake George! She is the best and always makes sure I feel appreciated for all I do for her. I am so happy that she chose me to be her assistant; and I love making her life easier here at work.

So there it is: my day started out not great but it turned out awesome! God knew exactly what I needed, and He provided it for me.

Here is my floral arrangement:

Thanks so much Mary Hand. You're awesome!!

 

The Ten Commandments

 One of the best movies of all time! For many, many years it's been a tradition in my family to watch this at Easter time. My sister Robin is the one that turned us on to it; and a lot of times we would watch it with her. Once we knew the movie by heart, we could focus more on the smaller action on the screen instead of the big action. Like for instance: if you look really carefully at the people carrying the golden calf after they made it through the Red Sea, you will notice a poor extra who stubbed his toe on something and hops around a bit. Priceless! Robin and I would laugh and laugh at this every time! She's probably in Heaven making the real Moses and Aaron, et al, act it out for her every Easter. She's like that!

Anyhoo, on the topic of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17), I know that most of us are familiar with at least some of them. And most of us have no problem keeping most of them, like thou shalt not kill, honor thy father and thy mother, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery. But here's the one that people break: most of the time not even realizing it. It's the one that has the most said about it, because God wants us to know how important it is.

"8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." KJV

There it is. But now you're saying, "I do keep that commandment. I go to church on Sunday. That's the Sabbath, right?" No, actually it isn't. The Sabbath is Saturday, which is the seventh day (technically, sundown Friday until sundown Saturday). Sunday is the first day.

I have heard it said that the sabbath was changed to Sunday because that's the day Christ was resurrected. However, God didn't change the day. It was Roman culture that did. You see, in Roman culture they worshipped the sun god, because the sun gave warmth and illumination to mankind. That's pagan theology. 

In the Bible it says that Jesus observed the Saturday Sabbath, as did his disciples even after his death and then ascension into Heaven. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to change the Sabbath to Sunday. So who changed it? The Roman Catholic Church, whose religious leaders say they are "God on earth" so have the authority to do so. They believe they had the authority to change biblical principles. Please feel free to look that up. Augustine in 400 A.D. proclaimed that "all glory of the Jewish Sabbath is transferred to Sunday".

I have known for many, many years that the Sabbath should be kept on Saturday, and for a time I did this. But old habits die hard, and Sunday seemed to be more convenient so I slipped right back in with the majority. But in my heart I know, in time, (if the Lord tarries) I will go back to Saturday worship.

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. I'm just providing a little Biblical truth. God gave us all free will. However, if we are trying to keep the Ten Commandments, we should keep this one as well since obviously it is the most important one.

You don't have to take my word for it: feel free to do your own research. You'll be amazed at what you find. Truth.

Irrational Fears - The Musical

 When I worked at State Farm, I had a good friend named Amy. She is one of the funniest people I know. As we worked together, we shared stories of raising kids, life before kids, being a working mom and some personal stuff as good friends will. One day we were talking about a show she had seen where stars were taken to haunted places and filmed to get their reactions. This led into a discussion about what we're afraid of. After listening to a couple of mine Amy said, "Good Lord, there's a Broadway show in there somewhere!" After that, whenever something would get mentioned and I'd say I was afraid of it, she would say, "Another act in Irrational Fears: the Musical!"

With that being said, I'm going to give you a few examples of what seems perfectly rational to me to be afraid of, but sent Amy to her keyboard to compose the score to my Broadway show. I've even managed to get over some of these fears!

Pink Floyd: when I was a kid my brothers listened to this group. They said it was "head music". I knew this related to drugs, so I thought if I listened to it I would get hooked on drugs. I didn't want that!

The Three Stooges: even as a child, I thought they looked like child molesters because they were in black and white. This also went for Laurel and Hardy, the Little Rascals (who looked like adults posing as children), Charlie Chaplin and the episodes of Superman with the mole people. 

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show: the guy with the eye patch. 'Nuff said.

Raisins: once my mother bought raisins from a store that is so long gone that no one would remember it. It was called Gateway. Anyhoo, she put them in a fridge drawer and kind of forgot about them. When I went to the fridge and pulled out that drawer: let's just say the raisins were moving on their own. To this day I still won't touch them no matter how fresh!

Puppies: my evil older brothers used to tell the neighbor's puppy to sic me when it came into our yard. The puppy was so small it hopped instead of ran, but it scared my little four year old butt anyway. Haters!

Water: Also when I was still basically a toddler, Marie would often wash my hair in the kitchen sink with the sprayer. Of course the water would spray everywhere and get in my face and I thought she was trying to drown me. (hey, maybe she was) I would call on the Lord to save me, and it worked because I'm still here! 😉

 Shorter than usual people: I am tall. They are not children yet are small. I'm not sure why this frightened me, but it did! Marie used to say to me, "I thought Clancy was going to not grow. If his growth had been stunted, would you be afraid of him?" It took me a long time to answer!

Carrots: When I was a kid I loved raw carrots. One day I was eating one and choked. My brothers laughed at me as I tried to breathe and made fun of me for weeks afterwards. They didn't really like me, did they?

 Keith: he went through a very angry phase when we were younger. When he would ask me for a ride, I was always afraid that he was going to punch me in the face while I was driving. I stopped taking his calls!

Popeye: it started out in black and white. Olive Oyl was too skinny; and I was afraid of the goons from Goon Island.

The Nutcracker: to this day the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy gives me chills, and not in a good way.

There you have it: the short list of my irrational fears. I'm over all of them except for the raisins and Three Stooges, et al. I even went to see Roger Waters a few years ago: and it was the best concert I had ever attended! And I'm drug free!

I haven't talked to Amy in awhile. If you're still working on that musical, remember I get half the royalties!