Great Deals!

I had the most fun shopping today! Our HOMExperience store had an employee sale and you wouldn't believe the deals I got. I bought over $2000 worth of stuff and I spent less than $150. I was like a kid in the candy store. There wasn't anything wrong with most of the sale items. Some items were custom orders from customers who decided not to purchase it after the order was too late to cancel. Others were things that we needed to get rid of due to lack of storage space. Regardless of why, they were awesome deals that couldn't be passed up. I felt a little guilty because I knew what the cost was for the store to purchase the items. The store lost a lot of money by practically giving this stuff away but they will probably save money by not having to store it all. Everything needed to sell by the end of the day today. Whatever didn't sell was to be donated to charity. It's a good thing they don't have sells like this all the time. Everyone already jokes with me and says I have a shopping addiction. 

Judgement or Forgiveness?

Barry and Michelle bought me a Couples Devotional Bible some years back. I try to read at least a little bit every day. It was hard for me to get into the routine of reading my bible at first. I started off only reading the devotions actually. It was quick and easy. After some time, I finally got into reading scripture. It's funny how it used to seem so difficult to understand. I sometimes still struggle comprehending some areas but I get much more out of it these days. I still go back and read the devotions though. Some of the stories are very insightful so I thought I'd try to share some with you. Below is one I read earlier. Enjoy!

Judgement or Forgiveness?

Can we ever fully recover from the sickness of "judgmentalism"? Maybe.

First, I can reprogram my thoughts to view people differently. When I search for the image of God stamped on all God's children, a spirit of gratitude comes to me quite naturally. With a thankful heart, I can sharpen the positive image of everyone with whom I come in contact. 

Second, I can confess my faults openly. At our church trio practice one Sunday, I snapped at a fellow member for being late. After church I apologized for my abruptness, and she revealed problems at home that made her ministry in music difficult. Together we worked out an alternative plan and ended up rescheduling our trio practices.

Third, I can give equal time in prayer. A man in our church was unfaithful to his wife. I spent time with his wife, in tears, anger and prayer. By week's end I realized I hadn't once prayed for her husband. He was hard to love, but perhaps prayer would have softened his heart. As I called his name in prayer, my compassion for him grew.

When a brother or sister stumbles or feels the pain of a fall, rather than reach for my judges robe, I need to kneel down with them, share their hurt, and then gently seek to restore them to health and wholeness. 

[Marriage Builders] 

* Why is the habit of negative thoughts about others dangerous for you and disappointing to God?

* In your marriage relationship, why is it important to "clear the air" by confessing wrongs and asking for forgiveness?

Additional Scripture Readings

Galatians 6:1-5; Matthew 7:1-6; 12:34b 

Going Green

I found out something really interesting in one of my training meetings at work today. Do you know the difference between the solid recycling logo and the clear recycling logo? To be honest, until today, I never noticed there were two different logos. The difference is pretty significant though. The solid logo means the product you are using was recycled. The clear logo means that it is recyclable. Evidently,  if you do not see the clear logo, it can only be recycled once. Which means it will still end up in a landfill eventually. Recyclable (clear logo) items can be recycled over and over so it has true sustainability.  So, if you are someone who cares about helping the environment, this is great information to know. Every little bit helps. 

Be careful when you recycle your plastic bottles. . If you recycle, you need to make sure you remove the plastic lid and the plastic ring from the lid. The reason? The two plastics melt down at different temperatures which means they can not be melted down together. Unfortunately, most cities do not have the staff to take the time to remove them for you so, if you do not do it, you might as well not recycle it at all because they are discarded and placed in landfills anyway. Both plastics can be recycled, of coarse, but the plastic from the bottle may be recycled into carpet and the lid might be recycled into car parts. Not all plastics are equal.

Now I need to look into eventually buying a more fuel efficient vehicle. Not only does my Yukon not help the environment, I'm sick of paying ridiculous gas prices. 

August Rush

Have any of you seen the movie August Rush? We just watched it and thought it was great. It features Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrance Howard, Robin Williams and Freddie Highmore (as August). What a touching movie! If you haven't seen it, you must. It's hard finding clean movies these days that are so well done. Below is the trailer so you can check it out. You might need to copy and paste it to your browser for it to work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ab6RtA-KE

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Appreciation For The Things You Have

Earlier today I stopped by Penn Station for lunch. When I pulled in I noticed a man, who appeared to be homeless, looking into the window. It was 77 degrees and he was wearing at least one shirt underneath a torn raggedy sweater. He was an older gentleman. If I had to guess he was in his late 60's. At first, I did not want to go in because I wasn't sure about passing by him.  I feel terrible feeling that way but you just never know what to expect and it was very unusual seeing a man like that in our area. After a minute or two I decided to go in. He opened the door and came in with me but he never went to the counter to place an order. He just browsed around the front area looking at the pictures of different meals on the wall. I tried not to stare but the more I watched the more guilty and sad I felt for him. He never did approach the counter to order anything so when my name was called for my "To Go" order I asked the kid behind the counter if he had seen him before and if he knew what his situation was. I did not want to approach the man because I did not want to insult him in any way but I wanted to help if I could. The kid behind the counter explained to me that he has been in before and that he does order from time to time. I was thinking maybe I would buy him a sandwich or something but he left before I had the opportunity. All I could think about was that he was probably hungry and had no money on him to buy anything. He never asked anyone for anything. He just wandered around a bit cooling off in the air conditioning looking at the pictures. 

You know, times like this are truly humbling. We all go through life expecting this and wanting that and then you see someone with a real need. It reminded me of just how much I have to be thankful for and how much we all take for granted. In our society, it seems that no matter how much we have we always feel like we need more. We need not forget to be appreciative for what we have already been blessed with. 

Republican National Convention

Okay, have you all been watching the Republican National Convention? WOW! I am pumped after watching last night and tonight. I think our next Vice President just may be a woman. If you haven't been watching I want to encourage you to. History is being made! I loved many of the quotes made but this one really stuck out to me and several of the people I work with. 

"There are some people (Obama) who use change to promote their [short] careers, and some people (McCain) who use their careers to promote change."

I know they always say not to discuss politics or religion at work but we must have talked about it all day today. We even did our own Company Poll with those of us that watched it. It was so much fun hearing everyone's thoughts. I don't think I've ever looked this forward to an election. I guess it's not hard to see who I'm voting for. 

 

40th Wedding Anniversary

Today would have been my parents 40th Anniversary. They always talked about going to Hawaii for their 40th. I wish they would have been able to do that together. I guess we should be happy for the memories we do have though. My mom was so blessed to have such an amazing man in her life. My dad was the best!