April 4, 2010

Spring gifts brought to you by God and Aunt Dawn.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under God, holiday, Love
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He is alive and we have reason to hope because we are saved! You ever think of that cliché, hope springs eternal? Spring is a time of rebirth. And when you put your faith in Jesus, you are born again (spiritually). It feels much better for everyone this time around. No pain, no messy stuff, no cutting cords. It’s a time of freedom, of hope, and love.

Every year I go up to my brother’s house and celebrate Easter with his family. Their church puts on great skits and then their senior pastor delivers a wonderful sermon that reminds us how incredible Jesus’ gift to us is. He is the Truth. He is the Way. And He is the Life. If you’re looking for proof first before you believe, it’s not going to happen. But I promise you this. Once you have faith, once you let him in, you’ll see everything you need to. You’ll understand everything you need to. And you’ll feel freedom like you’ve never felt before.

Being part of “the Way” does not guarantee a stress-free life or a cessation of sin. But it makes it all bearable. At least that’s how I see it. It’s up to you to make the decision for yourself. No one can do it for you. No one can make you. If you have questions, ask them. I encourage all of you to walk into to a church near you and check it out.

Now since we are human and specifically Americans, we of course must mix pagan customs and traditions into all of our holidays—especially the ones that pertain to Christianity. The traditional Crowe family egg hunt was a success. We dropped one member this year. I guess Zenia isn’t interested in free candy enough to go looking for it. But the rest of them participated to the delight of the adults. And after I teased Tyler by giving him clothes as his birthday present (he was so sweet and appreciative but definitely not thrilled—as was my plan), he smiled as he unwrapped his Easter gift—the Lego set he suggested I buy him.

The family took a stroll around a lake in Columbia on this gorgeous day and enjoyed the beauty that God created for us—in the flowers, gardens, creeks, lakes, grasses, and the people we love. Thank you God—your gifts are endless.

Happy Easter!

 

March 27, 2010

Death by flying mattress, part deux.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under Uncategorized
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So awhile back I posted a funny strip from Dilbert. Here is it again.

Dilbert.com

I posted it as a joke after I got laid off to keep my spirits high and to keep laughing. Well, today, as luck (or unluck rather—is that a word?) would have it, I saw my life flash before my eyes as a flying mattress came hurling toward me on the beltway.

Anyone who has ever driven on the DC beltway knows that you take certain risks just being on it. But I can honestly say flying mattresses were not on the list of things I keep my eye out for when rounding the outer loop.

But today, as I was happily lost in thought on my way home from getting my locks colored and cut, I saw two mattresses flying off the hood of a car about 100 yards in front of me. The good news is I own a Honda, not a Toyota, so the brakes worked and thanks be to God, who is really looking after us, no one got hurt.

My dad has most likely lost the color in his face reading this but I had to post about it to remind all of you to keep on your toes. If you’re keeping your money stashed in your mattresses, make sure they are secure on the hood of your cars or you might just lose everything!

 

March 24, 2010

What a difference a year makes.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under kindness, unemployment
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One year ago today I was laid off from my job. It was a truly horrible day. I called my parents and started crying into the phone and didn’t stop all night. In between sobs I downed a few glasses of wine but didn’t care seeing how I had the whole next day to sleep it off. Man, what a crappy thing it is to lose your job.

I like to think I’m of the philosophy that things happen for a reason. God has a plan for me and I believe it. Sometimes trials and tribulations make us stronger and test our character. I’m not sure what it did for me. I hated it and it stunk. But I do know that I’m now working for a great company that’s growing. The people I work with are talented, friendly, and fun. I’m working harder (it seems) than I have in awhile and I am still dealing with stress issues but I will always be grateful for my job.

You probably know someone who is out of work right now. Or maybe they’ve been furloughed or given up or have taken a job that’s not quite up to what they could be doing. You don’t have to do anything special for them because unless you’ve been through it you won’t understand. But what you can do is listen and be their friend. Don’t treat them differently (except I will say don’t throw your recent purchases in their face or suggest shopping sprees). Invite them over, have a few laughs, and keep trying to help them network so they can find potential opportunities. And pray.

I’m still a little gun shy and sometimes nervous about the future but I’m moving on. I’ve refinanced (thanks to being employed), I’m taking a break to Nova Scotia this summer with my parents (something that was on the books for last summer), and I’m saving my pennies for a promising, hopeful future.

But in conclusion, I just want to say to all of you still out of work—we haven’t forgotten you. We still care and we’ll be here for you. Good luck!

 

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