Try it, you'll like it!.......

My husband and I both use electric toothbrushes. The twirling, pulsating brush does a great job cleaning our teeth. Our Dental Hygienist suggested it years ago, and we began using them. We like them, a lot.
Not so much, the water-pick appliance, that we recently purchased. For a change, I read the instructions. I really did. But, the first time I tried to use it, I nearly drowned. I loaded the machine, with water, and put the appliance in my mouth, just like the instructions read, BEFORE turning it on. But, somehow, after flipping the switch, I missed the part about opening my mouth, leaning over the sink, and letting the water run out.
My mouth filled up with water. I started choking. I pulled the appliance out of my mouth and the water started spraying everywhere.
Finally, I got the thing turned off, but not before the mirror and counter were dripping wet.
Not one to be defeated, I tried it again, several days later. This time, I must have tilted it wrong, or upside down or something, because it ran out of water. The tank was still full, but no water came out. It worked on one side of my mouth, but not the other.
I'm not giving up yet. In order to effectively use this appliance, I am going to have to learn a whole new set of skills.
Success is just around the corner. You know, "Practice makes perfect".

Dear Lord. We need Your help. New experiences are a challenge. But, how blessed we are to be able to experience change. We honor your name.

Read me a story.

I'm a reader. I read nearly everything that comes my way. I read the local newspaper, daily.
('The print copy, of course. Not the digital.) The Holy Bible, ads, flyers, and magazines. Currently, I am reading an Agatha Christie novel, on my e-reader and a hard-bound non-fiction story, The Residence, about life in the White House. It is unusual for me not to have a couple of "reads" going, at the same time. And, I re-read books that I really like. I think I have read all of the Jane Austen novels, several times. My favorites are Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion. Last year, I read Alice in Wonderland and Dickens' Christmas Carol. Great books worthy of a re-read.
My enjoyment of reading is hereditary. Some of my earliest memories are of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburg, Kansas. My mother took us there, regularly. It was probably the cheapest activity, for her two girls, that she could imagine. But, what a gift! My sister continued the practice, when she was old enough, to walk us on summer mornings, to the marvelous stone library, on Fourth Street, where we could check out lots of books and learn all kinds of great stuff.
I had a favorite aunt, who would send my sister and me wonderful books at Christmas. Okay. I liked toys and dolls and things, but the books are the items that I kept. To this day, I still read my copy of Better Homes and Garden Storybook. I can recite most of it from memory.  And, the really cool thing is, my sister sends my grand kids books, on special occasions. Hereditary!!
Reading is a wonderful pastime. It can continue even after your eyesight is gone. I am acquainted with numerous folks who listen to audio books, on a regular basis.
I believe that readers are dreamers. It doesn't matter how old you become. Read on dreamers, read on.

Gracious God, We thank you for the gift of language. Thank you for teachers. Thank you for parents and siblings who care. We are truly blessed, in so many ways. You are good.

A Tisket a Tasket...a Bloody, Bloody Basket.

Now, I'm a city girl....but, not always. I grew up in a small mid-western town, where we did small town things. Today, I happened to ask a fellow employee, a native of Russia, whether she had ever killed a chicken. It's a long story about how we actually got to the point of discussing killing chickens, but just let me tell you, in brief, it involved wild turkeys doing mating dances and a rogue coyote, in the trash, in New Mexico.
"No", she replied. She had grown up a city girl, in Moscow, and understood nothing about killing chickens.
Well, I knew right then and there, I had to tell her about backyard chicken coops and how, as a preschooler, I participated in the slaughter of numerous fowl, and lived to tell about it.
My grandparents "kept" chickens, in their backyard, behind the garage. I remember feeding them and that they frightened me. "Keeping" chickens also required collecting their eggs and eventually killing some, for our family to eat.
My dad and grandmother were the deed doers. Grandma would grab the chickens, give them a yank and break their necks. But, that didn't kill them. The bodies of the chickens would then be placed, neck out, under a bushel basket and round, little Nancy, would get the job (they must have thought that I liked doing it) of sitting on the down-turned basket.
Dad would then use a small hatchet to lop off the head, while the body continued to flop around and I would have to hang on, to the basket for dear life, until the body stopped moving. It was not fun. I remember it all quite vividly.
My friend was horrified.
However, the experience did not make me non-chicken eater. Fried or baked. Chicken is my favorite meat. But, to this day, I am a wee bit leery of anything in a bushel basket.

Dear Lord. Memories can be a blessing. We learn from the past. Lead us toward a better future. Show us how to become better Christians.

Me, My, Mine!

Once, when one of sons confessed that he actually liked Cole Slaw, another of our boys announced that he had dangerously crossed over to the Dark Side. Now, I have to admit, that I have also made the leap.
I know, from my place of work, that Seniors are, as a rule, very territorial. They speak of MY parking space, MY yard, MY mailbox, MY this and that. Because, their lives have been downsized to an apartment in a communal build, they are very jealous of what they think they possess.
Well, the other day, a resident wandered behind MY desk and made an exorbitant number of copies on MY copier. Boy, was I peeved! Then another resident announced that she had been watering MY cactus plants, because she thought the dirt was dry. Cacti, folks! Egad!
Well, I just had to calm down.
That copier, just like the parking space, is something that I have the use of. I don't OWN it. The desk,  just like an apartment, is something that I am allowed to use. I don't own it.
Just stop and think about it. We are temporary residents of this planet. We need to remember that God is allowing us to live here. We need to appreciate our gifts and open our hearts and share. Sharing is  a wonderful thing.

Great Holy God. Thank you for our many blessings.

Fairy Tales

The first and foremost rule of my job is "never argue with the residents". Today was a perfect example of  the extremes that I must go to, to appease the senior masses.

Friday, was Grocery Store Day. Normally we take people to the local supermarket, twice a week, but this week, due to scheduled vehicle maintenance, we used our shuttle only once. Our driver generally takes one assistant and 8-10 shoppers. But today, 20 seniors were eagerly waiting to board the bus at shopping time. 

Since we have always asked out shoppers to sign up prior to shopping day, the number of prospective shoppers surprised all of the staff. 10 extra shoppers is a big deal!
Now, if one wants to go shopping, one is supposed to sign up, in advance, with the Concierge.......me.
So, casually I asked, "Why isn't your name on my list? "(to each of the ten shoppers not registered). To a person, they each replied, "Well, I told you I wanted to go."
Okay. Okay. We found room on the bus and took another vehicle to carry the groceries. But, there is no way that I forgot to register 10 people. One or two possibly, but not ten.
I shouldered the blame. It was my fault. My mistake. Everyone got to go shopping and everyone was happy. No one was harmed and no one was offended.
There you go, folks.  I hope you enjoyed the trip.

Great and gracious God. Your people are odd creatures. We want to be in charge. Each and every one of us, but You know that we are not in control. Teach us how to love one another and put ourselves in Your most capable hands.