Thursday's with Erma

"A REAL friend is fat when you are fat, depressed when you are depressed,

and overdrawn when you are overdrawn."

Erma Bombeck

Thursday's with Erma

Continuing with last weeks idea of a scheduled weekly posting... Heeeerrrrrrrreeeee's Erma!

Have a Good Day!

"The mornings are bad for me. During the night everything has wrinkled: my skin, the clothes to be worn that day, the lunch meat. The dog (who has kidneys the size of barleycorn) is impatient to be let out.

The shoes that were left in the middle of the living room have moved on. The bread is frozen. While the kids shower, the mirror fogs up and my husband's beard goes limp. He's a bleeder.

I waste twenty minutes trying to make thirty-five cents out of two quarters and five pennies. My son mistakenly grabs the garbage (which he forgot to take out the night before) for his lunch and yells, "I'll eat it on the bus." My husband removes ice from the car with a pancake turner and scratches the windshield. He yells, "Have a good day!" and I yell back, "You have it! I had it yesterday." "

Erma Bombeck

Thursday's with Erma

So this week I've decided to begin a regular, weekly posting of snippets from one of my favorite author's from the 70's. No confusion now - I'm a child of the late 70's, and the only reason I know of this funny lady's work is due purely to thrift shop finds... Ya'll know that I LOVE the thrift shop!

Her writings are generally short & to the point. Although a few are more wordy. All I find humorous, mostly because I know the feeling!

When you're reading these notions, try to read through the eyes of someone that lived in the 60's & 70's as an adult; that will add even more humor to the subjects!

Take it away, Erma!

"I have always said if the Good Lord had meant for me to speak in the mornings,

He'd have put a recording in my chest & a string in the back of my neck."

Erma Bombeck

Misci - My Pre-50 list

What's a Pre-50 list? According to my new buddy, Thomas, I need a list of things to achieve before 50. This all came about earlier this week from my post about Memories and Regrets. If you guys didn't see his comment, please read it.

Thomas, thank you for reading and caring enough to respond. What a precious person you are and how fortunate are the people who are lucky enough to be able to know you personally!

*********

We all have moments of regret stemming from memories of times past. A few days ago I was having some of those "remember when" moments. The moments turned into a great big "What in the world happened?" and "What am I doing with my life?" day. The day has now morphed into a "How am I going to get back on track? And do I even want to..." week.

It happens, right? No big deal.

This past year meant many changes for myself and my family. I felt a strong calling to serve my community more and, in answer to that call, left my full-time job of ten years. It wasn't something I did lightly. A lot of thought and planning went into the move. I even had some ducks lined up to tide us over, as we weren't in the perfect financial situation.

Unfortunately, the first duck flew off without the full payout, which left us with unanticipated bills remaining. The second duck was rejected and is basically dead in the water without further funding. The third duck laid a multitude of eggs, which all fertilized, and left us with more unexpected bills. You see where this is going....

In the midst of the duck saga, my son decided he wanted to be homeschooled this year due to many issues during his first year in middle school. The issues were leading to health problems and were changing him into someone he didn't even like, so I readily accepted the challenge. This was a large goose, come to roost...unexpectedly...

My dedication to the community has never wavered in all of this. It has actually grown stronger. As a family, we spend about 35 hours a week volunteering in some capacity or another. About 20-25 hours of that is mine, in an average week. This is such a bright spot in my life and a wonderful area of growth for my family. I would hate to give it up.

I'm stuck. I'm torn between an obligation to provide for my family and the heartfelt obligation I feel to serve God completely in this area. My prayers are continually answered with the feeling that I need to continue in my service. However, my faith is wavering on where the funds will come from to sustain us.

The sales at my store on e-Bay have dropped to almost nothing. My Etsy shop has yet to garner a sale. And I keep pushing. I'm afraid that if I wait any longer we may lose everything we have, which truly isn't all that much. Yet, that said, I'm even more afraid that I'll fail God in the quest He's given me.

So here's my baby steps to a "Pre-50 list" -

• Continue serving God and His people to the best of my ability.
• Search for and secure a part-time job as fast as possible.
• Continue praying for guidance.
• Continue homeschooling my son in the fall, because I feel it's the best education we can give him.
• Continue promoting my Etsy and e-Bay shops for another 2 months. If things don't pick up, I'll have to stop spinning my wheels there.

This post is not about pity or sympathy. It's about reality. It's about choices all of us face daily and how we choose to handle them. Do we get up and dust ourselves off or wallow in the dirt wondering why we keep getting dirt up our nose?

Is this the right answer for me? I won't know for a few weeks but, it's a chance I have to take or risk losing a roof over my head. Sadly, when I say that, I'm mentally confronted with all of the verses in the Bible that tell me that God will provide. So, am I misinterpreting my calling or not trusting enough??? That's a million dollar question...where's Miss Cleo when you need her?

Disclaimer: There were no ducks or geese hurt in the writing of this post!

Memories and Regrets

I was over at my Mom's last night and happened upon one of my sisters' high school yearbooks. We're three years apart, with her being the oldest. Her last year in high school was my first. The yearbook that I found laying out was from her Senior year. Naturally, I picked it up and started leafing through it.

I'm not a person that leans toward sentimentality, so this is not something I do often. Honestly, I only owned this one particular yearbook and threw my copy away sometime back. High school was not my favorite period in life. I was a rebel to say the least and my interests led me in other directions, but that's another story!

Browsing through these pages brought back so many memories. About half of the people pictured had been in Middle school with me and many attended the same Elementary school, as well. Some I hadn't thought about in years and a few I still see from time to time.

As these memories came rushing back, I was struck by how vivid they were. Some seem like they occurred just yesterday. The reality is that my freshman year was 19 years ago! That hit me like a ton of bricks - almost 20 years have passed since I began high school. I have officially spent more time on this earth as an adult than as a child...ouch! I'm old!

When did this happen?

Where did the time go?

What have I achieved?

Where is my life going from here?

The truth is that I'm not sure when it happened. Honestly, I feel like I was running around without a care in the world a few months ago. I can see the results of my life daily in the lives of my children but, what about the rest?

Have I achieved the goals I had set for myself in school? Not really. I veered off track quite early by becoming a teen mom at age 15. Before that time I was sure that I would be a world traveler and possibly take over the world one day. (As you can tell, I didn't lack confidence!) I always felt that I would be financially set by age 30 and ready to live my life solely for my own entertainment.

The reality:

• I haven't been outside of the U.S.


• I lost the confidence I once had somewhere around 18, settled for less than I should've many times over, and only recently regained this strength - through the grace of God.


• I'm in my early 30's and am far from being financially set.

Am I disappointed? A little. I wish I'd had the strength and courage long ago to continue on the path of my dreams. I wish I'd taken more time with my family and children to enjoy life along the way.

However, I've discovered that I've grown through these experiences. I no longer care about big houses, fancy cars, or plush living. I just want to be happy, healthy, and have time to serve others!

Many of us are faced with disappointments and discouraging factors daily. I think what matters the most is how we handle what we're given. Do we let these disappointments drive us off course or do we learn from them?

Where am I going from here? I'm not sure. I haven't attempted to make a plan in over 5 years, which is far too long. This is something I'll be working on this week - my goals, personally and familial. I challenge you to do the same. It's harder to be driven off track if you have a current map of the trip you need to take!

Thought for the day...

This quote comes from my mother's church newsletter from last month. Her pastor shared a story from an e-mail he'd received. It had a ton of thought provoking statements that I will be sharing with you all over the next few weeks.

This is the first -

We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

My daughter recently turned 18. That's a milestone birthday. Although I kidded her for months about being "too old to play", or by telling her that adults "can no longer have fun", I don't personally believe that.

When I turned 18, I wanted everyone around me to see me as an adult. I thought that meant giving up all of the fun things in life and acting "more mature". The truth came several years later in the form of major disappointment in everyone around me. You see, they were adults, but not acting "mature". I resented that. I didn't understand how they could suceed in anything if they had any fun or relaxed.

A few years later it dawned on me that this handful of "immature" people had quickly become everyone that I knew above the age of 18. Was I missing something? Did they know a secret that I didn't? Exactly how were they able to get and keep jobs with these attitudes?

The answer:

I needed to relax. I needed to accept the fact that 18 was not a magic number; it was not the end of "having fun" nor did it mean that life as I knew it was over. It meant that I was in a different chapter, but still the exact same person inside.

It's perfectly fine to have fun, to get on your knees and play with children, to run and jump in the yard, play on the playground, and roll up your pants to wade in the creek. The problems come when you think that you're too good or too mature to do that!

Quote of the day...

I follow a blog called Blessed Femina. What a great read! She has some terrific recipes for food AND homemade cleaners. Additionally, she offers some of the best quotes and feminine photos around.

One of her recent posts was about Godly Womanhood. She quoted Former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall -

"Godly womanhood ... the very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other type of women: beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women, talented women, divorced women. But so seldom do we hear of a godly woman - or of a godly man either, for that matter.We believe women come nearer to fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife, than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old-fashioned, than to be ultra-modern. The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct."

This quote rings true even if you're not a Christian. If we all strive to be better human beings in general, to let go of the material possessions and materialistic nature we have come to know, this world would be a better place. As Americans, we live wasteful and, generally, unappreciative lives.

Do you realize that people in most of the world still live without running water? Do you appreciate that fact when you turn on your faucet every day or simply let the water run as if there is an endless supply? Do you recycle through your cities recycling program or is it too much trouble to carry the bin to the curb? Do you combine trips in your car or jump in and go whenever and wherever, just because you can?

I'm as guilty as any of us. The first step to change is realizing that you need to change, accepting that, and making the decision to take the next step. You don't have to up-end your life completely. You can take small baby steps or large dinosaur steps. That decision is yours to make. Just be aware that you have other decisions that you can make...

Thought for the day

We had Chinese last night, which is highly unusual for us these days, given the economy. But, we do splurge occasionally and boy was it worth it!

This was in one of the fortune cookies -

Knowledge and not doing are equal to not knowing at all.

Amen! Don't you just love fortune cookies????

Thought for the day...

"Miracles are all around you. You just need to open yourself to receive them."

by M J Ryan, author of the Happiness Makeover

I used to keep this quote posted by my desk at work. The thought is simplistic, yet profound. How many times have you missed something because you closed yourself off?

Personally, I think I missed out on half of my teen years because I was waiting for something really fabulous to happen. What I failed to realize is that miracles were happening all around me. I was just too caught up in fancy and flashy to notice. I thought miracles came with fireworks and thunderous applause. The truth is that miracles come quietly, in the depth of night, on the whisper of the wind, they sneak up and catch you unawares...but only if you're open to receive them...

In this new year make a conscious decision to witness things like a child - everything fresh and new. You'll be amazed at what you find!

Here's a link for M.J.'s website, if you're interested. She has some great books on gratitude, as well. -

http://www.mj-ryan.com/

And a link to recieve her daily inspirational e-mails -

http://www.happinessmakeover.com/signup2.html

Thought for the day...

This saying has been stuck in my head for the past several days. (It woke me up 2 nights ago.) It's the strangest thing, because I haven't heard anyone say it in such a long time. I'm not sure why it keeps running through my mind. But, I'll share it with you.

"There's no use crying over spilled milk."

See, I told you it was strange. No, I haven't been severely disappointed in anything life has brought me lately. No, for you dream analyst, I didn't have an odd dream that corresponded with this thought. Just, quite simply, the thought.

I am one of those people that over-analyze everything. Therefore, the saying has been broken down, hashed and mashed by my brain for 2 days. Here's what I arrived at:

• You CAN cry over the spilled milk, but you still won't have any milk in your glass.

• Even after you cry about it, you'll still have to clean up the mess. Someone else can clean it up for you initially, but, eventually, you'll end up dealing with the same mess over again. So, you may as well clean it up yourself the first time!

• If you clean up the spilled milk, you can't reuse it. The milk will just be dirty and undrinkable. You'd be better off with a new glassful of milk.

• Crying about it would simply waste valuable time. After you'd cried, you would still need to clean up the mess. You'd end up out of the time to cry AND the time used to clean it up. It's better to cut your losses and only be out the clean-up time.

Moral - If you spill your milk, which inevitably happens, clean it up and move on.