My husband, children and I visited my family this weekend in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. On the way home, we stopped at the Cracker Barrel to eat a late lunch / early dinner. We had a very nice waitress and the food was delicious. After we ate, we sat there for a few minutes talking. Micah and I were on the same side of the table and there was a large family sitting directly behind us. After we finished eating, an older gentleman turned around and it was obvious that he wanted to strike up a conversation.
"Hello there, young man," he began. "How are you today?"
Micah told him that he was fine and the man said, "Do you play football?"
Micah just kind of looked at him and so the man said, "What's your sport? Do you play football?"
I was sitting there thinking, "Gee, couldn't the guy have asked him the boiling point of water, the name of the first vehicle in outerspace or something easy like that..."
But instead he again said, "Do you watch a lot of football?"
Sure enough, Micah said, "I don't know what that is."
Of course the man looked at Micah - and THEN AT ME - as if we were from another planet!
Now to the child's credit, it was very noisy in the restaurant and the man did have an accent and so we couldn't hear him very well. Instead of pointing out the obvious difficulties, however, I said, "Micah doesn't play sports. He is more of a science kind of guy. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up."
The man looked at Micah and Micah said, "I want to work for the Army Core of Engineers."
Hmmm. That gave the man something to think about. He said something else about sports and I said, "We just don't really play any sports, but he does know what football is. He just misunderstood you."
The man decided to change direction at that point and said, "The Army Core of Engineers, huh? Are you familiar with the Oak Ridge Power Plant? I used to work there. I helped develop various cooling systems to test."
After that we had a nice conversation that was more in line with things we were familiar with.
He proceeded to tell us about his background, his family, his work history, and all the while I was wondering what his family thought about the fact that he had talked much more with us than with them. Meanwhile, my children had all finished eating, the to-go boxes had been packed and everyone at my table was anxious to leave so I politely excused us from the table. It was nice to meet him, but we needed to go.
I told Hannah and Christopher that they could pick out a small bag of candy to share. Basically, the day before, the other children had picked out something and it was enough to last for a few days, but Christopher and Hannah had chosen a very small candy so we told them they could get something else and share it so they each picked one of those small 2 for $1.00 bags of candy. I asked Chris to pay for them while I went and gave the waitress her tip. When I came back out, he was still standing in the same spot and still had the bags of candy in his hand.
I took the candy from him and told him to just take the children to the van and I would pay. He walked everyone to the van and I was standing there with the candy and Hannah, who stayed behind with me. I went to the register and paid for the candy, the lady put it in a bag, and I walked out to the van. When I got to the van, Chris handed me some change. I asked him what it was for and he said, "It's the change from that five dollar bill you gave me to pay for the candy."
I said, "You mean to tell me you actually paid for the candy?" He said yes. I asked him why he had neglected to tell me this and he said that he just didn't think of it. When I asked him why he didn't have the candy in a bag, he said, "She didn't offer me one." I asked him what he thought I was going to stay behind and pay for and he told me he had no idea, but he didn't really think about it. That just figures.
So then I go marching back into the store with the two bags of candy to UNpay for them.
I take them up to the counter and tried to explain to the cashier that she had just double charged me for these two bags of candy because she had charged my husband and me for the same candy. I asked her if she remembered charging him and she said yes. And she definitely remembered me. We had chatted some. So I handed her the candy and she said, "So you want to return these?"
I said, "Yes, I need my money back."
She scanned them and started to put them behind the register. I said, "But I want the candy back." She said, "But you said you wanted to return them." I said, "Yes, but I only want to RETURN them. I don't want you to keep them. You do the return and give me my money back, but then I need to keep the candy."
She looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
I said, "You just charged my husband and me for the SAME two bags of candy. I didn't buy two different bags. These are literally the same two bags that he paid for."
She looked at me like she didn't really believe me and she wouldn't give me the candy.
I said, "OK. Here's what happened...." I explained the whole situation to her again, emphasizing the part that he paid her for the candy and then she didn't put it in a bag so when I saw him standing there with the candy, I took it from him and paid for those same two bags again. I think she got it at that point or at least she must have understood that I wasn't going to leave without my money and the candy because she gave me both.
As I turned around to leave, the woman standing behind me was laughing and she said, "That sounds like something me and my husband would do."
I guess it was a bit funny. Between the older gentleman and trying to buy the two bags of candy, it ended up taking us about 45 minutes to leave the place after we had eaten. Oh well. At least the food was good. And there is never a dull moment.
Sonya
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Trying to Recover....
My husband and I took the children to Chattanooga this weekend. I really just wanted to visit everyone. We will not go back until this summer and I just have this feeling of foreboding that I needed to go now...
Other than visiting, the main reason we went was to meet some older relatives and see photos of my mamaw and papaw and other relatives that I had never seen. My aunt and I visited relatives for a couple of hours on Saturday and literally it wore me out so much that I ended up having to rest for the remainder of the day, then I got up for a couple more hours, but I had to go back to bed last night and I didn't get up until 1:00 today!!!
I can't believe how much the least amount of exertion is affecting me. It's horrible.
Anyway, since I slept so late, we got a late start home today. We returned a while ago and I wanted to post a couple of notes on the digest because we need to find the bird a home and sell that washer and dryer, but I'm heading to bed now. I am so incredibly sick. I don't know if it's because of the travel or what, but I am just worn out. My abdomen is hurting SO SO SO bad and I feel like I just need to throw up. That's a new thing. Usually I just hurt and sometimes I feel nauseous, but this is so much worse. I also have a bad headache coming on.
I won't be going out much now. That just makes me plain depressed!! I'm not used to that. :) The medicine has started making me feel worse already and that's what happened after I had Hannah. I literally sleep around 16 hours a day on average and sometimes up to 20 hours with this medicine. This is honestly worse than the pain from the blood clots in many ways - especially because it's so debilitating, but hopefully it will keep me alive. I have a few hours each day where I can function well and I am so VERY thankful for that.
People ask how I manage to get things done if things are really as bad as I say. Some people look at me and because I LOOK normal and I try to keep a smile on my face, it's as if they think I'm making this whole thing up. It's almost funny now, but I've learned so much about prejudice through all this. To answer how I "do" it, I say that ... I have a very helpful husband. My children are INCREDIBLY wonderful and they see how difficult it is for me. While I put on my best face for everyone else, they see me when I can't walk or get out of bed. That's sad for me, but this has also helped them become the sensitive helpful children they are. Finally, I've learned to appreciate the little time I do have and I make the most of it. That's part of the reason I haven't been on the digest. I only have a few hours per day when I function well. I don't really have any "extra" time any more so I have to use what I have to get as much done as possible in as short a period as possible. On days when I feel worse, I can't even get to the computer. Last week one day, I managed to heat up a casserole that someone brought us and I made some corn pudding to go with it. I was so proud of the fact that I had heated up the casserole and made the corn pudding myself... Considering the fact that most days I can't do that, you learn to be thankful for the small things. My house is a total disaster area, but the kids do the best they can. The messiness is difficult for me to deal with since I kept an IMMACULATE house before Hannah was born and that's another thing I've had to relinquish. But, you can build Godly character in a home whether it's clean or dirty so I try to keep it in perspective. :)
Also, the Lord has graciously allowed me the opportunity to write another book, I need to conserve energy for that task. I believe all things do work together for the Glory of God so I pray that in some way this latest difficulty will help me write something that will be more helpful to those readers who will see the book in 2010. I am just incredibly thankful that I am able to write. Despite all the pain, at least my fingers work without any pain at all! When I'm working on an essay or a paper or book for the purpose of helping other homeschoolers (or non-homeschooling parents), I try to say what the Lord wants me to say, not what I want to say. Even on days when I have a headache, it makes it more difficult to write, but it's almost like I can still do it so long as I can continue to type because I've really prayed about the material in advance and it comes out naturally. Sometimes the pain in my head, abdomen, back, or legs is just so unbearable that I can't stand it. When it's that bad, the only way to keep from exploding is to take medicine to help me sleep through the worst of it.
Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and help. I hope no one minds the update. We received many Christmas cards and I don't know when I'll ever have a chance to write individual notes to say hello or even thank you where appropriate. I just don't have the energy. Even now I really need to go. I am in such pain that I can't sit here and type any longer. But it is so encouraging to me to know that there are some of you praying for me and my family regularly. I covet those prayers.
Your Sister in Christ,
Sonya
Other than visiting, the main reason we went was to meet some older relatives and see photos of my mamaw and papaw and other relatives that I had never seen. My aunt and I visited relatives for a couple of hours on Saturday and literally it wore me out so much that I ended up having to rest for the remainder of the day, then I got up for a couple more hours, but I had to go back to bed last night and I didn't get up until 1:00 today!!!
I can't believe how much the least amount of exertion is affecting me. It's horrible.
Anyway, since I slept so late, we got a late start home today. We returned a while ago and I wanted to post a couple of notes on the digest because we need to find the bird a home and sell that washer and dryer, but I'm heading to bed now. I am so incredibly sick. I don't know if it's because of the travel or what, but I am just worn out. My abdomen is hurting SO SO SO bad and I feel like I just need to throw up. That's a new thing. Usually I just hurt and sometimes I feel nauseous, but this is so much worse. I also have a bad headache coming on.
I won't be going out much now. That just makes me plain depressed!! I'm not used to that. :) The medicine has started making me feel worse already and that's what happened after I had Hannah. I literally sleep around 16 hours a day on average and sometimes up to 20 hours with this medicine. This is honestly worse than the pain from the blood clots in many ways - especially because it's so debilitating, but hopefully it will keep me alive. I have a few hours each day where I can function well and I am so VERY thankful for that.
People ask how I manage to get things done if things are really as bad as I say. Some people look at me and because I LOOK normal and I try to keep a smile on my face, it's as if they think I'm making this whole thing up. It's almost funny now, but I've learned so much about prejudice through all this. To answer how I "do" it, I say that ... I have a very helpful husband. My children are INCREDIBLY wonderful and they see how difficult it is for me. While I put on my best face for everyone else, they see me when I can't walk or get out of bed. That's sad for me, but this has also helped them become the sensitive helpful children they are. Finally, I've learned to appreciate the little time I do have and I make the most of it. That's part of the reason I haven't been on the digest. I only have a few hours per day when I function well. I don't really have any "extra" time any more so I have to use what I have to get as much done as possible in as short a period as possible. On days when I feel worse, I can't even get to the computer. Last week one day, I managed to heat up a casserole that someone brought us and I made some corn pudding to go with it. I was so proud of the fact that I had heated up the casserole and made the corn pudding myself... Considering the fact that most days I can't do that, you learn to be thankful for the small things. My house is a total disaster area, but the kids do the best they can. The messiness is difficult for me to deal with since I kept an IMMACULATE house before Hannah was born and that's another thing I've had to relinquish. But, you can build Godly character in a home whether it's clean or dirty so I try to keep it in perspective. :)
Also, the Lord has graciously allowed me the opportunity to write another book, I need to conserve energy for that task. I believe all things do work together for the Glory of God so I pray that in some way this latest difficulty will help me write something that will be more helpful to those readers who will see the book in 2010. I am just incredibly thankful that I am able to write. Despite all the pain, at least my fingers work without any pain at all! When I'm working on an essay or a paper or book for the purpose of helping other homeschoolers (or non-homeschooling parents), I try to say what the Lord wants me to say, not what I want to say. Even on days when I have a headache, it makes it more difficult to write, but it's almost like I can still do it so long as I can continue to type because I've really prayed about the material in advance and it comes out naturally. Sometimes the pain in my head, abdomen, back, or legs is just so unbearable that I can't stand it. When it's that bad, the only way to keep from exploding is to take medicine to help me sleep through the worst of it.
Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and help. I hope no one minds the update. We received many Christmas cards and I don't know when I'll ever have a chance to write individual notes to say hello or even thank you where appropriate. I just don't have the energy. Even now I really need to go. I am in such pain that I can't sit here and type any longer. But it is so encouraging to me to know that there are some of you praying for me and my family regularly. I covet those prayers.
Your Sister in Christ,
Sonya
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas Gifts
We have always tried to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas and for the past couple of years we haven't even had the option of buying presents. Now that doesn't mean we haven't bought the children anything. We just don't go hog wild and spend a bunch of money on stuff we don't need anyway. We always have enough little stuff to fill everyone's stockings and we also buy something special for each child. Last year we seriously thought about not buying anything at all so we had the smallest Christmas ever in terms of gifts and honestly I don't think having fewer gifts made our celebration for the birth of Christ any greater. We love Jesus every day and we realize we can never come near to matching the gift He has given us.
With all that said, this year I purchased a few little things here and there during the summer at yard sales. The kids are not spoiled and a used gift is just as special as a new gift to them. It is also good to recycle so we always buy used when we can. I also went out on the day after Thanksgiving to wait in line at 4:30 a.m. for a friend of mine. Since I was already awake, I decided that I would do a little shopping myself. I am glad I did because I found a few very good deals and got each child something he/she would like.
Chris and I had also wanted to buy each child a new Bible. They all have children's Bibles, but they are beyond those now. Everyone except Hannah needed to move up to a study Bible and it just so happened that the place where I work was having a sale on Bibles. We had planned to buy everyone a Bible and have it personalized, but then I was put in the hospital last week. We found out that my blood clotting problems are back.
I did a lot of thinking while I was in the hospital and I decided that I definitely wanted to get everyone a special Bible and also have each one personalized. When I went out after Thanksgiving, what I bought Sarah and Hannah was a scrapbook. I really wanted to get the boys one, too, but they were just so expensive that I decided against it. After I spent the week in the hospital and found out about the newer clots, I decided that the scrapbooks couldn't wait! I went back to the store yesterday and bought the boys one.
Now I'm so excited because I've decided to spend the month of January focusing on photographs, family history, and scrapbooking. We're going to put the books out at each person's assigned seat at the table and we'll just eat in the living room until the scrapbooks are done. I think it's going to be great fun!
I think the Bibles, scrapbooks, and stocking stuffers I bought are going to make for the most wonderful Christmas gifts ever. I LOVE giving gifts and these are perfect!! I wish everyone could have so much fun with little things as our family does. It is truly a blessing.
Sonya
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/
With all that said, this year I purchased a few little things here and there during the summer at yard sales. The kids are not spoiled and a used gift is just as special as a new gift to them. It is also good to recycle so we always buy used when we can. I also went out on the day after Thanksgiving to wait in line at 4:30 a.m. for a friend of mine. Since I was already awake, I decided that I would do a little shopping myself. I am glad I did because I found a few very good deals and got each child something he/she would like.
Chris and I had also wanted to buy each child a new Bible. They all have children's Bibles, but they are beyond those now. Everyone except Hannah needed to move up to a study Bible and it just so happened that the place where I work was having a sale on Bibles. We had planned to buy everyone a Bible and have it personalized, but then I was put in the hospital last week. We found out that my blood clotting problems are back.
I did a lot of thinking while I was in the hospital and I decided that I definitely wanted to get everyone a special Bible and also have each one personalized. When I went out after Thanksgiving, what I bought Sarah and Hannah was a scrapbook. I really wanted to get the boys one, too, but they were just so expensive that I decided against it. After I spent the week in the hospital and found out about the newer clots, I decided that the scrapbooks couldn't wait! I went back to the store yesterday and bought the boys one.
Now I'm so excited because I've decided to spend the month of January focusing on photographs, family history, and scrapbooking. We're going to put the books out at each person's assigned seat at the table and we'll just eat in the living room until the scrapbooks are done. I think it's going to be great fun!
I think the Bibles, scrapbooks, and stocking stuffers I bought are going to make for the most wonderful Christmas gifts ever. I LOVE giving gifts and these are perfect!! I wish everyone could have so much fun with little things as our family does. It is truly a blessing.
Sonya
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/
Friendship in a Pile of Produce
On our local homeschool digest (e-mail tree), we post all sorts of information of interest to homeschool families. One of my favorite bits of information is a list of weekly store ads. A local mom goes through all the store fliers for the week and forwards those to me, then I post them to the digest. I've had increasing problems with my digestive system all fall and a few weeks ago, I posted a note asking if anyone was aware of sales on citrus fruit, particularly grapefruit and oranges, that I would appreciate it if they would post this on the digest.
I received a few responses to my post, but then the next week I got to the point where I could barely eat anyway. Then, last week I was put in the hospital so eating wasn't really an issue at all. Before I was discharged from the hospital, one of my best friends started arranging for people to bring meals to our house so that I wouldn't have to cook when I came home.
Apparently several of the people remembered my request for citrus foods because when I came home from the hospital, my kitchen counter looked like a mini-produce market! I had apples, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, and bananas across the counter top. It was so wonderful! The casseroles that we've received have been absolutely delicious, but I haven't been able to eat much of those. Chris and the children have greatly enjoyed them, though! Each evening since I've been home, I have eaten one or two grapefruits and / or an orange. For some reason it doesn't fill me up like other food - because it's mostly liquid, I guess - but it forces my digestive system to function. Yeah!
I was just sitting here thinking about how friendship is shown in so many forms and it can even be evident through a pile of produce.
Sonya
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/
I received a few responses to my post, but then the next week I got to the point where I could barely eat anyway. Then, last week I was put in the hospital so eating wasn't really an issue at all. Before I was discharged from the hospital, one of my best friends started arranging for people to bring meals to our house so that I wouldn't have to cook when I came home.
Apparently several of the people remembered my request for citrus foods because when I came home from the hospital, my kitchen counter looked like a mini-produce market! I had apples, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, and bananas across the counter top. It was so wonderful! The casseroles that we've received have been absolutely delicious, but I haven't been able to eat much of those. Chris and the children have greatly enjoyed them, though! Each evening since I've been home, I have eaten one or two grapefruits and / or an orange. For some reason it doesn't fill me up like other food - because it's mostly liquid, I guess - but it forces my digestive system to function. Yeah!
I was just sitting here thinking about how friendship is shown in so many forms and it can even be evident through a pile of produce.
Sonya
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Creative Answer
I have felt very bad lately so I haven't been upstairs much to the children's area. Chris goes up there every evening when he is getting the children ready for bed, but I just don't have the energy to climb the stairs or worry about cleaning up there. We do expect the children to do that on their own.
Today I was carrying some books upstairs that had been in the living room for a couple of weeks and as I went upstairs, I could see in the boys' Lego play area. There are Legos everywhere.
I said, "Gee whiz, boys. Can't you pick up the Legos as you play and keep them off the floor?"
Daniel (7) said, "But we don't need to, Mommy. We've memorized where they all are so when we go in there, we just step over the ones in the floor and find an empty spot to sit in while we play."
Perhaps I should try this for the rest of the house since I haven't felt well anyway! : )
Sonya
www.sonyahaskins.com
Today I was carrying some books upstairs that had been in the living room for a couple of weeks and as I went upstairs, I could see in the boys' Lego play area. There are Legos everywhere.
I said, "Gee whiz, boys. Can't you pick up the Legos as you play and keep them off the floor?"
Daniel (7) said, "But we don't need to, Mommy. We've memorized where they all are so when we go in there, we just step over the ones in the floor and find an empty spot to sit in while we play."
Perhaps I should try this for the rest of the house since I haven't felt well anyway! : )
Sonya
www.sonyahaskins.com
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Concerning the Bailout...
Are you STILL confused about the bailout? Are you STILL trying to wrap your mind around the numbers being thrown around every day by politicians? Here are some things to think about:
The auto industry was asking for $700,000,000,000 billion. Or, as the media would say, $700 billion. I think they should be required to SHOW how many zeros are in that number.
Let’s consider this number based on an individual’s responsibility:
As of November 2008, it is estimated that the population of humans living on planet Earth is 6.73 billion. If the bailout passed at $700 billion, that means that every man, woman and child, working or not, sick or healthy, American citizen or any other person living on the planet would need to contribute $104.01 each to cover the bailout.
If other countries think it’s our problem, which it is, and they would prefer to pay their own bills and have us pay our own (gee, there’s an idea), then that leaves the American tax-paying population to foot the bill. There are approximately 305,725,980 people in America right now. This means each American is contributing $2,289.63 EACH toward the bailout at $700 billion.
But wait, I said “tax-paying” Americans. When you consider the fact that there are approximately 43 million Americans who filed an income tax return, but who had no tax liability, that leaves only 262,725,980 people to divide the bill, which brings it up to $2,664.37 per person, including children.
Now let’s look at it based on households:
According to Census Bureau, In 2007, the median annual household income rose 1.3% to $50,233.00.
There is an average of 2.59 people per household. This means that each household would be responsible for $6,900.72 to pay for the bailout.
With an average annual income of $50,233 per household (Census Bureau, 2007), this means the average household will spend 13.7% of their annual income for the bailout!
I don’t know about the rest of you, but we can barely pay our $200/month electric bill. I certainly don’t know where we’re going to come up with money to cover the bailout and believe me – we WILL PAY FOR THIS!!! Whether it’s today or tomorrow, the money must come from somewhere.
The people making the choice:
The annual salary of each United States senator and each representative, as of 2008, is $169,300. This means that they are spending 1.35% of their salary for the bailout. This doesn’t include extra income from their spouses, speaking engagements, and other investments. In other words, most senators would be spending less than 1% where the rest of us are spending over 13% of our income!!
Who is going to pay for this bailout?
Americans who work hard to make sure that we manage our businesses properly, pay our bills on time, pay our own mortgages, and WORK will be paying for this bailout – whether it’s $700 billion or $15 billion. We are working so hard that we’re working ourselves to death to take care of the elite who are making decisions that affect people they know nothing about like those of us struggling to buy food, but who don’t qualify for any sort of aid and don’t want it anyway. Senators and representatives claim to be the voice of the people, but they are no longer the voice of the people. When a median income is around $50 and they make more than three times that amount, they are NO LONGER THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. They are the voice of those who have lined their pockets with donations and given them special interests to fight for at the expense of the rest of us who have no special interest other than being hard-working citizens of the United States of America.
If you still care at all what citizens of the United States think about this issue, PLEASE VOTE AGAINST ANY BAILOUT plan. Tell your congressmen that you oppose it! We are tired of paying for people who mismanage their money, even if it means that thousands of people will lose their jobs. Let the free-market work. Perhaps they will find better jobs, but it certainly is their responsibility to find ANOTHER job. When in America did we develop the attitude that it is an employers (or the government's?!?) responsibility to ensure that people have a job?? It's a person's responsibility to FIND A JOB or - in America at least - to CREATE one for themselves. Start a new business or better car company. That used to be the American way, but now it is increasingly rare to see someone have the attitude or initiative to be AMERICAN when our socialist-leaning government is trying to pave the way for goverment-owned businesses rather than privately-owned businesses.
If you vote for the bailout and continue to throw money at companies who can’t manage it well in the first place, what makes you think they will manage it any better now? If they couldn’t manage their OWN money, why in the world do you think they are going to manage someone else’s money better?
The auto industry was asking for $700,000,000,000 billion. Or, as the media would say, $700 billion. I think they should be required to SHOW how many zeros are in that number.
Let’s consider this number based on an individual’s responsibility:
As of November 2008, it is estimated that the population of humans living on planet Earth is 6.73 billion. If the bailout passed at $700 billion, that means that every man, woman and child, working or not, sick or healthy, American citizen or any other person living on the planet would need to contribute $104.01 each to cover the bailout.
If other countries think it’s our problem, which it is, and they would prefer to pay their own bills and have us pay our own (gee, there’s an idea), then that leaves the American tax-paying population to foot the bill. There are approximately 305,725,980 people in America right now. This means each American is contributing $2,289.63 EACH toward the bailout at $700 billion.
But wait, I said “tax-paying” Americans. When you consider the fact that there are approximately 43 million Americans who filed an income tax return, but who had no tax liability, that leaves only 262,725,980 people to divide the bill, which brings it up to $2,664.37 per person, including children.
Now let’s look at it based on households:
According to Census Bureau, In 2007, the median annual household income rose 1.3% to $50,233.00.
There is an average of 2.59 people per household. This means that each household would be responsible for $6,900.72 to pay for the bailout.
With an average annual income of $50,233 per household (Census Bureau, 2007), this means the average household will spend 13.7% of their annual income for the bailout!
I don’t know about the rest of you, but we can barely pay our $200/month electric bill. I certainly don’t know where we’re going to come up with money to cover the bailout and believe me – we WILL PAY FOR THIS!!! Whether it’s today or tomorrow, the money must come from somewhere.
The people making the choice:
The annual salary of each United States senator and each representative, as of 2008, is $169,300. This means that they are spending 1.35% of their salary for the bailout. This doesn’t include extra income from their spouses, speaking engagements, and other investments. In other words, most senators would be spending less than 1% where the rest of us are spending over 13% of our income!!
Who is going to pay for this bailout?
Americans who work hard to make sure that we manage our businesses properly, pay our bills on time, pay our own mortgages, and WORK will be paying for this bailout – whether it’s $700 billion or $15 billion. We are working so hard that we’re working ourselves to death to take care of the elite who are making decisions that affect people they know nothing about like those of us struggling to buy food, but who don’t qualify for any sort of aid and don’t want it anyway. Senators and representatives claim to be the voice of the people, but they are no longer the voice of the people. When a median income is around $50 and they make more than three times that amount, they are NO LONGER THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. They are the voice of those who have lined their pockets with donations and given them special interests to fight for at the expense of the rest of us who have no special interest other than being hard-working citizens of the United States of America.
If you still care at all what citizens of the United States think about this issue, PLEASE VOTE AGAINST ANY BAILOUT plan. Tell your congressmen that you oppose it! We are tired of paying for people who mismanage their money, even if it means that thousands of people will lose their jobs. Let the free-market work. Perhaps they will find better jobs, but it certainly is their responsibility to find ANOTHER job. When in America did we develop the attitude that it is an employers (or the government's?!?) responsibility to ensure that people have a job?? It's a person's responsibility to FIND A JOB or - in America at least - to CREATE one for themselves. Start a new business or better car company. That used to be the American way, but now it is increasingly rare to see someone have the attitude or initiative to be AMERICAN when our socialist-leaning government is trying to pave the way for goverment-owned businesses rather than privately-owned businesses.
If you vote for the bailout and continue to throw money at companies who can’t manage it well in the first place, what makes you think they will manage it any better now? If they couldn’t manage their OWN money, why in the world do you think they are going to manage someone else’s money better?
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Greater to Give than to Receive...
The other day I was driving down the road thinking about all the difficulty we've been having and also about so many other families in need. There are MANY needs this year and these aren't minor needs, but families who are losing their homes or who are in danger of losing their homes, who can't pay to heat their homes, who can't afford food due to rising costs, etc. Many of you understand. Anyway, I was driving down the road on my way to work (Chris was off that day so he was watching the children) and I passed a man and a little girl walking along the road. I heard that little voice inside of me saying "Stop and offer them a ride." Now this isn't something I normally do, but I learned a long time ago to obey the voice. God saved my life once through that voice, but I won't share that story here. Some of you have heard it, but it was TRULY a miracle and I believe it was either an angel or the voice of God himself.
So anyway, I stopped the van, backed up, and asked if they wanted a ride. The man hesitated and then said, "It's a really long way to our home. If you could just take us a short distance, I would appreciate it." I said, "Absolutely not. You hop in and it would be my pleasure to take you all the way home."
I always have extra car seats in our vehicles so we buckled the little girl in and the man got in on the other side. I looked back at this adorable child, whose hair was brushed and who was probably cleaner than my children, but whose clothes were a bit dirty and she was missing one glove. We were driving along and he asked me to stop at the gas station so that he could put some gas in my car because it was "a really long way," but I told him not to worry about it. I told him that I had some very good friends who had helped me out recently and I really felt that God wanted me to give him a ride and not worry about the money.
He said, "Well, I'm very thankful, ma'am. I was a little worried about how I would get home by 3:30. I have to be there when the bus comes or they won't let my son off the bus because he's in kindergarten and someone has to meet the kindergartners or they won't let them off." Now it was around 12:30 when I picked them up so I was wondering how far away they actually lived. I was also wondering if he had to meet the bus every day so I said, "Is your wife working? Do you take turns meeting the bus depending on who is off work?"
"My wife is deceased, ma'am," he replied. I quickly glanced at the little girl because I was wondering what her reaction would be to this statement, but she was already sound asleep.
I changed the subject and asked him why they were out walking in the cold rain. (It was drizzling last Thursday when I picked them up.) He said that he had taken his daughter to Northside Hospital because she had been sick for a few days and couldn't seem to get over it. She had been diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and after he went to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine, his car wouldn't start. I picked him up a couple of blocks from the pharmacy.
It was almost 15 miles to his apartment. We chatted the entire way. He was a very polite, friendly man and we discussed several things, including where he went to church, the economy, and how he had moved here earlier this year because he had heard that the job market was better here than in Virginia. He is a tailor by trade, but he came here to work in a factory because when the recession began, he said it was kind of difficult to get a job as a tailor any more. He moved here for a factory job and worked three months, but when the layoffs began in earnest a couple of months ago, he was among the first laid off since he was new.
I asked if he had any other children besides the little girl, who had just turned four, and the six-year-old boy. He also has 9 and 12-year-old girls. We arrived at his home about this time and I asked him if he needed anything. I was thinking of the money I had in my purse that had been given to us because we are having such a difficult time. I didn't want to give it away. I had plans for it, after all. I asked if they had food and he told me that they did.
I drove away and cried the entire way to work. I worked for a couple of hours, but I couldn't get this family off my mind. I had made him give me his phone number and I had taken his number, too. I told him that if he had any difficulty getting his car, he should call me and I would do what I could to help him. I also told him I'd check up on him to see if he needed anything so I called him that evening and asked if he really had everything he needed. Bills? He said they'd be ok. Food? They have food stamps. Clothing? He said they get hand-me-downs and buy other stuff at the Salvation Army so they were fine. Christmas gifts? He said he saved some of the money from his last paycheck to buy the children each a gift and he was going to do that, but if I could possibly give him a ride to town to buy the gifts, he would appreciate that since he doesn't know if his car would be fixed before Christmas. I told him I had been given some money and I would like to buy the children's stocking stuff, like toothbrushes, toothpaste, candy, and some other little stocking things. And I asked if they needed anything for winter like gloves (since the little girl only had one on). He said, "OH YES! If you could just do that, I would be so appreciative. The children could really use some gloves."
My children, two of my friend's children (who were spending the weekend) and I went out on Friday and spent about $50 on each child. We had a lot of fun and bought them things that many people would take for granted or at least not consider a huge treat, but that these children will probably really appreciate - a new toothbrush, your own tube of toothpaste, some little kids' hand gel, a slinky, gloves, winter hats, etc. Our children greatly appreciate these things because they are a treat they receive at Christmas so we bought the children all the things we usually put in our own stockings and my children had great fun being the "givers" rather than the "receivers."
It may seem that I have wasted the money I was given, but I didn't. I can't imagine why in the world God would send that money my way and then place someone in such need right in my path if he didn't want me to share it with them. It's not just about the money, after all. I'm going to take the dad Christmas shopping this week. (We don't have any more money, but I'll give him a ride! :) We're also inviting them over for Christmas Eve. His children are in such close age to ours and it would be a joy to have them visit. Perhaps we can develop a relationship, even a friendship with this family. That's certainly worth much more than the $200 we spent.
And I'm not worried about our bills any more. You know, I think the reason I cried so much after I dropped this man off is because Chris was almost left raising five young children a few years ago. If that had happened, or even if it happened tomorrow, I know my husband would not ask for help. If he were walking along the side of the road with Hannah and someone picked them up, he would insist on giving them gas money, whether he had it to offer or not. It's just the man he is. And this man was laid off at the same time as my aunt, brother and uncle. It all just seemed a bit too coincidental and a bit overwhelming. So many people hear of others needing help, but I grew up without a home most of the time. I've been homeless and without food and I don't want to be in that position again, but that is selfish. The Lord knows our needs and he never fails to meet them.
I have been sick all weekend as my immune problems are seriously acting up again. I've pretty much felt awful this entire fall, and I've been having fevers off and on again for a couple of weeks and this weekend I had severe headaches. A little over a week ago I also started having some horrible side effects to my medicine that I won't even mention here. It's very depressing and draining on my system. However, I am VERY happy. I will not ask for help again. I appreciate the help we received during the past few weeks and we will continue to look for wood, but the encounter with this man reminded me once again that we are only worrying about our bills and my health. There could be so much more to worry over, but we serve an awesome God and even if we lost everything we own, we STILL would serve an awesome God.
God doesn't change and I believe the lesson in all this is that nothing on this earth really matters except what we do with what we have (are we willing to share what we've been given to someone who needs it even more?) and what we do with what we KNOW (are we willing to share the gospel with those who may not have a relationship with the savior?).I'm sorry this is long. I figure since I haven't written much in the past couple of weeks, I could make up a tiny bit. I also wanted to give everyone an update and encourage you this holiday season to share with someone in need. Many of you are. Some of you have so little to share in material terms, but you can share the GOOD NEWS. Others sit on thrones of judgment and offer nothing to those who they believe have gotten themselves into the situation and should get themselves out. It is good to know that most of the people who will read this fall into the first two categories.
I'm sure most of you have heard of cases this year of need in your community, through your church, etc. Many of the people in greatest need don't go to church. They think "those people" (Christians) judge them and they aren't "good enough" to go to church. Reach out to these people, too. They are perhaps in the greatest need because they don't have a church to offer them material help, but also they don't have the Lord to provide comfort. Find them. Pray for them. Look for them. Trust me, if you are willing to reach out to them, God will place them in your path, even if it means that he has to put them right beside your vehicle on a drizzly day on the side of the road. If you are willing, He will give you an opportunity to serve Him.
I pray that all of you who are worrying right now about bills, the economy, relationships, your job, etc. will find peace this holiday season. I also hope that you will have many opportunities to share with others this Christmas and throughout the coming year. It truly is a blessing to be able to give something to someone else, whether it's a ride, a new toothbrush, or a simply a bit of friendship.
In Christ,
Sonya Haskins
So anyway, I stopped the van, backed up, and asked if they wanted a ride. The man hesitated and then said, "It's a really long way to our home. If you could just take us a short distance, I would appreciate it." I said, "Absolutely not. You hop in and it would be my pleasure to take you all the way home."
I always have extra car seats in our vehicles so we buckled the little girl in and the man got in on the other side. I looked back at this adorable child, whose hair was brushed and who was probably cleaner than my children, but whose clothes were a bit dirty and she was missing one glove. We were driving along and he asked me to stop at the gas station so that he could put some gas in my car because it was "a really long way," but I told him not to worry about it. I told him that I had some very good friends who had helped me out recently and I really felt that God wanted me to give him a ride and not worry about the money.
He said, "Well, I'm very thankful, ma'am. I was a little worried about how I would get home by 3:30. I have to be there when the bus comes or they won't let my son off the bus because he's in kindergarten and someone has to meet the kindergartners or they won't let them off." Now it was around 12:30 when I picked them up so I was wondering how far away they actually lived. I was also wondering if he had to meet the bus every day so I said, "Is your wife working? Do you take turns meeting the bus depending on who is off work?"
"My wife is deceased, ma'am," he replied. I quickly glanced at the little girl because I was wondering what her reaction would be to this statement, but she was already sound asleep.
I changed the subject and asked him why they were out walking in the cold rain. (It was drizzling last Thursday when I picked them up.) He said that he had taken his daughter to Northside Hospital because she had been sick for a few days and couldn't seem to get over it. She had been diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and after he went to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine, his car wouldn't start. I picked him up a couple of blocks from the pharmacy.
It was almost 15 miles to his apartment. We chatted the entire way. He was a very polite, friendly man and we discussed several things, including where he went to church, the economy, and how he had moved here earlier this year because he had heard that the job market was better here than in Virginia. He is a tailor by trade, but he came here to work in a factory because when the recession began, he said it was kind of difficult to get a job as a tailor any more. He moved here for a factory job and worked three months, but when the layoffs began in earnest a couple of months ago, he was among the first laid off since he was new.
I asked if he had any other children besides the little girl, who had just turned four, and the six-year-old boy. He also has 9 and 12-year-old girls. We arrived at his home about this time and I asked him if he needed anything. I was thinking of the money I had in my purse that had been given to us because we are having such a difficult time. I didn't want to give it away. I had plans for it, after all. I asked if they had food and he told me that they did.
I drove away and cried the entire way to work. I worked for a couple of hours, but I couldn't get this family off my mind. I had made him give me his phone number and I had taken his number, too. I told him that if he had any difficulty getting his car, he should call me and I would do what I could to help him. I also told him I'd check up on him to see if he needed anything so I called him that evening and asked if he really had everything he needed. Bills? He said they'd be ok. Food? They have food stamps. Clothing? He said they get hand-me-downs and buy other stuff at the Salvation Army so they were fine. Christmas gifts? He said he saved some of the money from his last paycheck to buy the children each a gift and he was going to do that, but if I could possibly give him a ride to town to buy the gifts, he would appreciate that since he doesn't know if his car would be fixed before Christmas. I told him I had been given some money and I would like to buy the children's stocking stuff, like toothbrushes, toothpaste, candy, and some other little stocking things. And I asked if they needed anything for winter like gloves (since the little girl only had one on). He said, "OH YES! If you could just do that, I would be so appreciative. The children could really use some gloves."
My children, two of my friend's children (who were spending the weekend) and I went out on Friday and spent about $50 on each child. We had a lot of fun and bought them things that many people would take for granted or at least not consider a huge treat, but that these children will probably really appreciate - a new toothbrush, your own tube of toothpaste, some little kids' hand gel, a slinky, gloves, winter hats, etc. Our children greatly appreciate these things because they are a treat they receive at Christmas so we bought the children all the things we usually put in our own stockings and my children had great fun being the "givers" rather than the "receivers."
It may seem that I have wasted the money I was given, but I didn't. I can't imagine why in the world God would send that money my way and then place someone in such need right in my path if he didn't want me to share it with them. It's not just about the money, after all. I'm going to take the dad Christmas shopping this week. (We don't have any more money, but I'll give him a ride! :) We're also inviting them over for Christmas Eve. His children are in such close age to ours and it would be a joy to have them visit. Perhaps we can develop a relationship, even a friendship with this family. That's certainly worth much more than the $200 we spent.
And I'm not worried about our bills any more. You know, I think the reason I cried so much after I dropped this man off is because Chris was almost left raising five young children a few years ago. If that had happened, or even if it happened tomorrow, I know my husband would not ask for help. If he were walking along the side of the road with Hannah and someone picked them up, he would insist on giving them gas money, whether he had it to offer or not. It's just the man he is. And this man was laid off at the same time as my aunt, brother and uncle. It all just seemed a bit too coincidental and a bit overwhelming. So many people hear of others needing help, but I grew up without a home most of the time. I've been homeless and without food and I don't want to be in that position again, but that is selfish. The Lord knows our needs and he never fails to meet them.
I have been sick all weekend as my immune problems are seriously acting up again. I've pretty much felt awful this entire fall, and I've been having fevers off and on again for a couple of weeks and this weekend I had severe headaches. A little over a week ago I also started having some horrible side effects to my medicine that I won't even mention here. It's very depressing and draining on my system. However, I am VERY happy. I will not ask for help again. I appreciate the help we received during the past few weeks and we will continue to look for wood, but the encounter with this man reminded me once again that we are only worrying about our bills and my health. There could be so much more to worry over, but we serve an awesome God and even if we lost everything we own, we STILL would serve an awesome God.
God doesn't change and I believe the lesson in all this is that nothing on this earth really matters except what we do with what we have (are we willing to share what we've been given to someone who needs it even more?) and what we do with what we KNOW (are we willing to share the gospel with those who may not have a relationship with the savior?).I'm sorry this is long. I figure since I haven't written much in the past couple of weeks, I could make up a tiny bit. I also wanted to give everyone an update and encourage you this holiday season to share with someone in need. Many of you are. Some of you have so little to share in material terms, but you can share the GOOD NEWS. Others sit on thrones of judgment and offer nothing to those who they believe have gotten themselves into the situation and should get themselves out. It is good to know that most of the people who will read this fall into the first two categories.
I'm sure most of you have heard of cases this year of need in your community, through your church, etc. Many of the people in greatest need don't go to church. They think "those people" (Christians) judge them and they aren't "good enough" to go to church. Reach out to these people, too. They are perhaps in the greatest need because they don't have a church to offer them material help, but also they don't have the Lord to provide comfort. Find them. Pray for them. Look for them. Trust me, if you are willing to reach out to them, God will place them in your path, even if it means that he has to put them right beside your vehicle on a drizzly day on the side of the road. If you are willing, He will give you an opportunity to serve Him.
I pray that all of you who are worrying right now about bills, the economy, relationships, your job, etc. will find peace this holiday season. I also hope that you will have many opportunities to share with others this Christmas and throughout the coming year. It truly is a blessing to be able to give something to someone else, whether it's a ride, a new toothbrush, or a simply a bit of friendship.
In Christ,
Sonya Haskins
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