Dear Ms. Walgreens checker,

I'd like to thank you for the huge compliment you gave me yesterday.  When you asked me, "Shouldn't you still be in school?" I was confused at first.  You may have noticed that I immediately reached for where my nametag belongs (it wasn't there).  You also may have noticed the confusion in my voice when I said, "We got out at 2:30."  There was no need to apologize after you told me that you thought I was ditching high school early.  None at all.  In fact, you may now be my hero.  Please don't feel silly, because if someone mistakes me for 18 (instead of 40...which I'm closer to), then they are a truly wonderful person.  Thank you again for the confidence boost.

Warmest Regards,
Frau M.

Hard lessons

My church had a interim pastor for about a year.  He was a great teacher, and I probably learned more that I had for the longest time.  One of the best messages he gave was about dealing with when your feelings are hurt by someone.  There are three things you shouldn't do when you get your feelings hurt.

1. Don't curse it (the person who hurt your feelings)
2. Don't rehearse it (retell the story of how you have been wronged umpteen times)
3. Don't nurse it (feel sorry for yourself about how you were treated unfairly)

As I was sitting there, I was thinking, "Well that's so not even me, because I just don't care what people think."  Ha.  The VERY next day someone did something that hurt me very badly, and it took all summer long for me to get to the place where I could even be in the same room with her.  We did finally have a conversation and I apologized for harboring a grudge and the things I had said (believe you me, it was NO picnic for this proud girl).

A while back, I was handed a big disappointment.  Big.  I was much more upset about it than I let on to anyone (must maintain laissez-faire attitude at all costs).  I had to revisit my notes from that message because I was having trouble letting go of it and having a good attitude even though my head knew the decision was a blessing in disguise.  It took quite a few prayerful commutes to get to where I am right now.  The place where I know the right decision was made.  Because really, praying for God's will just as long as it is the same as yours isn't how it works.  

Who needs snow?

The winter that wasn't has its benefits.  Like today, it is 11:56...almost noon, and I am still in my sweats.  I haven't showered.  What have I done?  Well, to be quite honest...not much (two loads of laundry, tending the chickens and catering to the Clover who is still at home sick).  Why am I still in my sweats?  Did I take another day to stay home with the littlest monkey?  No.  No I did not.  My district embeds snow make-up days into the calendar, and with the "winter" we are having, we haven't had any snowdays.  So we automatically get the days that were embedded as we come upon them.  Part of me wishes that the district would just take the days off from the end of the year, but the other part of me (the part that is lazy) is really enjoying the benefits of a day without the shoveling.