Conversations With the Fam

My dear son overslept yesterday morning. 

Me:  So that's two mornings in a row you've overslept.  What happened?

Son:  I slept through my alarm.

Me:  You need a back-up alarm.  Do you have one?

Son:  Yes (pointing toward his bookshelf).

Me:  And... you already feel bad enough without me harping on it.

Son:  Yep.

*****

Walked into hubby's room.  Yes, we have separate bedrooms.  That's one of the reasons why we also have such a good and happy marriage.  I use the word "pop" instead of fart.  I was raised that way so I figure why stop now.

Me:  Hi.  (Sniff, sniff, sniff).  It smells like someone popped in here.

Hubby:  Someone did.  Several times.

Me:  Nice seeing you (quick exit).

Two Kinds of Pain

So, there are two kinds of pain.  The first is pain from something you've done to your body, or someone else has done to your body.  Or an injury, surgery, etc.  It was time for the epidural spinal injections today.  It's never a fun procedure, but there is an element of surprise as I never know if it will go well (minimal pain) or not so well (like the 4th of July inside my body).  Today was a fireworks kinda day.  It is still very tender and actually hurts a bit to breathe.  They say to take it easy for a day or two.  My husband agrees with them.  I, on the other hand, think taking it easy is incredibly boring and only gives you more time to focus on the pain.  As Gordon Ramsay would say, "Fuck me."

And speaking of Gordon, I've been watching some of the Hell's Kitchen seasons on YouTube.  We don't have cable TV at home, so I'm always a year or two or nine behind, which is fine with me.  Season 11 wrapped less than a month ago.  A very charming and talented young woman named Ja'Nel won.  Her prize was a year contract as Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, along with a salary of $250,000.00.  As hubby would say, "Saaaweeeet!"

The L.A. Times reported today that Ja'Nel will not be accepting the position in Las Vegas.  She cited personal reasons as her explanation.  Dug a little deeper and discovered Caesar's Palace has an exceptionally strict drug policy and Ja'Nel tested positive for cocaine.  Talk about PAIN!!  What an idiot, and what a slap in the face to the woman she beat out for the position, and those who were also in the running and missed the finals by a hair.  Wow.....

A Story

My son works as a Courtesy Clerk at our local Albertson's market.  Tonight while in the parking lot gathering carts, he saw a very dejected looking man with a dog.  Jacob approached the man and asked if he was okay.  The man stated he had hitchhiked here from Long Island, and was in need of money to buy food for his dog.  Jacob only had $1.00 in his wallet, but he gave it to the man.

As Jacob went back into the store, he felt God calling him to help this man.  He purchased a $12.00 bag of dog food, paid using his debit card, and walked outside to give it to the man.  He asked the man if they could pray together, and the man agreed.

A few minutes later one of the store managers approached Jacob and said she thought she saw the homeless man getting into a car parked around back.  Jacob rushed out, just in time to see the man driving by in his newer model, shiny car.  The man stopped and snickered as he drove past Jacob, saying "Maybe this will teach you a lesson."

Jacob told me this story when he got home from work.  Of course as a mother, my heart broke for him.  But even after being made a fool of, he remained strong in his conviction that offering help to a person he believed to be in need was the right thing to do.  He said he was angry at first, but he knew God would deal with the man.

Jacob said the store manager had spoken with him afterward, trying to make him feel better.  He told her about his faith, and why he did what he did. 

I wanted to cry, of course, but I kept it together and told him how proud I was of him and what a "together" kid he was.  I reminded him that we never know what kind of ripple effect our actions will cause.  Perhaps the store manager needed to hear about Jacob's faith.  Perhaps it made a difference in her life, or the life of someone she knows.   Lastly I told him after we are done being angry at this jerk, we need to pray for him.  Jacob laughed and said he knew that.