Spiders, Shoot Outs and Speaking Engagements

Fear - it's not an emotion I enjoy.

This morning I walked into my office past a known spider web that now has a larger spider than it started with. I don't think it's the same spider that built the web. Headline: "Spider Home Invasions on the Rise". But that didn't scare me (today - it did when I saw it last week). I walked into the office and saw another large spider creeping along the wall. Can't step on the bad-boy because it might just be a bad-mama-jama with babies on her back then they'd just get all over my shoe and I'd have a holy hissy right here in church in front of God and ev'rybody and that just wouldn't be right. Presbyterians don't look too highly on holy hissy fits. I just calmly made sure he/she wasn't moving faster than I was, put my junk down and headed for the wasp killer foam figuring if it could kill an evil wasp it could kill an equally evil spider. And it did.

Next...

I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business, doing my work on my sweet iMac when all of a sudden a pain went through my heart and a loud pop pierced my ear drums - I just knew I'd been shot dead. That, or the light bulb in my desk lamp blew. Yeah, it was the light bulb. But God knows it coulda been those thugs down the street in a drive-by Presbo shoot out! You never know!

Next...

Now here's the real fear - the one that's at the top of the list right now anyway. I have to speak at our Women's Connection meeting next Thursday evening. Which means I have to stand up, in front of people, open my mouth, and make sensible words come out of it that motivate them to do something. I have to put my thoughts in order, not talk too fast or too much or ramble. Can't I just write something, print it out in a cool font with pretty picture, print it on a tri-fold brochure and hand it out? That's much more my style....

Fear - I don't like it. Funny though, I just looked it up. As a noun, fear is an "unpleasant emotion caused by the BELIEF that someone of something is dangerous or likely to cause pain. Doesn't mean it actually IS dangerous or going to cause you pain.

But it might... and therein lies the proverbial rub.

One of our Pastors, whose heart is for missions, wrote this as his facebook status today. It never occurred to me this way.

I wonder if God asks the same questions we do sometimes. For instance, when we ask God why he lets people starve to death, or doesn’t give them clean drinking water, or lets them die of diseases for which we have cures, does He say “There is ample food grown every year so that no one need to go hungry, I have provided the rain, fertile soil and sunshine, there is enough clean water and technology to clean water so that no one should have to drink water contaminated with parasites, and enough medicine is produced each year to save countless lives, but it does not reach those who need it”. I think when we ask Him, “why don’t you stop this suffering”, maybe He asks, “why don’t you?”.

Can you dig it?

     "Can you dig it?" - been going through my head all week.  At the church where I work they've started a major landscaping project in the "courtyard".  They are spending mega bucks (over $90K) on this project.  I have a hard time with that given how many mouths that would feed in our community.  The only saving grace in my opinion is that at least we are giving a few people work.  Work they may not have had if it hadn't been for the generosity of the FH members to give much of their hard earned money to landscaping in the loving memory or loving honor of someone important to them.  As I see the bobcat expeditiously moving dirt from one place to another, eventually loading the dirt onto a dump truck and dumping it somewhere offsite  (which we're paying for) only to have to bring in more dirt later (which we'll pay for) - I think... "what in the world Pearl?"  Pearl responds, shaking her wise old head, "this isn't your problem honey - you can't change this so embrace it".  So I am trying to do just that. I am trying to embrace the passion of the ladies on the committee that put the wheels of the bobcat in motion.  But they're old, they get revved up about "gahden pahties" and the like.  I'm more interested in just seeing nature as it grows out of the ground.

     We also had more digging in front of the church.  A dead line for a light had to be located, removed and replaced.  But hey, guess what - the light still isn't working and the electrician has been gone (with my church key mind you) for three days.  Maybe he'll come back today, maybe Monday.  Hopefully with my church key!  Nice guy, but again - I'll just have to keep up my mantra - "we're helping the local economy by paying this man", "we're helping the local economy by paying this man", rinse & repeat.  

     The saving grace for the week was the downing of the leaning trees.  During a recent snow "event" as they call them in NC (in GA we called them "let's-go-get-some-milk-and-bread") we had one tree fall in the parking lot taking down a power line.  Another tree was leaning, nearly falling too.  A glorious member of the church VOLUNTEERED to cut up the fallen tree and take down/cut up the leaning tree.  I cap the word volunteered because they don't grow on tree you know!  

     So the phrase "can you dig it?" I guess applies to me this week.  CAN I dig it?  Can I embrace this landscaping project even as I take a phone call from a homeless person who wants to know if the church has a shelter or a soup kitchen?  "No sir, but call back in about 3 months and we'll have a dandy of a hardscaped courtyard!"  Can I prepare checks to pay $20K invoices for cement pavers as I think about the family at the elementary school behind the church that has 4 kids and their lights are being shut off Monday due to lack of payment?  Can I practice patience with the guy who has my church key?  Can't I just be grateful for the dear man who came to take down the trees?  I don't know...  I just work here.

What's a girl to do?

Tomorrow is one of those rare days where I can do whatever I want.  Nobody to meet, nothing pressing to do, cool and rainy weather and me with the whole day to fill however I so choose.  Thing is, I can't think of anything to do.  Sleep is out, although never fear, I still love me some sleep.  But I don't want to waste this blessed alone day.  Shopping would just be a waste of money...  although Goodwill holds a possibility or two.  And God knows it's takes all day to look thru everything there to find that one treasure.  Ramblin' thru antique shops is a thought, but I just know I'd find something I just "had to have" and then we're back to the wasting money problem.  I've never really gotten to know High Point very well, so I considered the High Point Museum, but I can only digest so much furniture stuff before I zone out - so that's out because there's not much to High Point other than the furniture industry.  It's too cold and wet to go hiking or anything else outside.  Wish the beach wasn't quite so far away or I'd take a day trip.  Could go north, but may run into snow that direction.  So, what's up with this?  A whole day, free, wide open and I can't figure out - what's a girl to do???

Sweet Aleah...

Amazing God

Today I am amazed yet again at the glory of God thru His creation.  It's absolutely beautiful today - warm, clear blue sky, slight breeze - just about perfect!  Days like this fill me with anticipation, one of my favorite feelings!  I am hopeful that winter is almost over, but even more than that, I am grateful for the opportunities the Lord provides for us.  Not only are we taken care of physically, but His mercy is new every morning.  His grace is sufficient, no matter what we're going thru, no matter what we've done, no matter if we're happy or sad.  He is always a good God.  The God - the one and only. 

Scrappily Ever After

Just in case I ever own a Scrapbook store - this will be the name of it.  Isn't it cute?

New Venture

So I have no idea what I'm doing... I've seen blogs, like blogs, heck I'd have a blog if I could. Hey wait a minute...

Yeah that was goofy but it's nearly midnight, way past my bedtime. I'm just running on fumes right now.

So, this will be my blog... for all my peeps... for you to be able to up with me keep... now I'll go to bed before this gets too deep... I know, the silliness, it's all piled in a heap... I'm truly taking a leap... but trust me, I'm not a creep... this is crazy, I didn't mean to make you weep... that's all the rhyming I can come up with.

Good night mittens, good night kittens, good night room and goodnight moon.