Wednesday, February 28, 2007

So I am going to round out my day for you that I had on Monday. It began with the post about being sick and ends with me deciding to go to Linnea and Cam's and getting pulled over for taking a left turn during the hours of 4-6. It was a last minute decision to go to their place and it was an honest mistake because I did not see the sign.

Fortunately, I was already planning on going to see the one little girl that can always put a smile on my face no matter what kind of day I am having. That little girl is of course Gwen. Her parents make me happy as well but there is something about when she smiles that just makes me melt. Gwen makes me so happy and it was so worth moving back from California to be able to see her as often as I do. I am so thankful for Gwen, her parents and what they mean to me. I honestly don't know what I would do without them right now.

Monday, February 26, 2007

You know what sucks??? Feeling sick but being forced to go to work because you are still a new enough employee where you don't have paid sick time and you can't afford to not get paid for one day when you really should be getting some rest at home attempting to get better so that you don't get your co-workers sick.

People who abuse the sick time ruin it for those who are in fact sick!

That's all folks

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

If you have already looked at the Bassett's or Johnson's blog today you are not going to be surprised when I say that I just came back from a Jr. High retreat in the Wisconsin Dells this weekend. I will let you know from the beginning that I don't have any pictures so if you want to see some I refer you to the previously mentioned blogs.

What I did want to talk about was the message that we were trying to get across to the kids this weekend and that was hospitality. When I was in Junior High and even High School it seemed rare that I was ever shown hospitality from the other kids. I am of coarse meaning that they never seemed to include me. Was it because they were a little more mature than I was and just in a different place in life so we were interested in different things?? Maybe. Was it because I was not very outgoing so I was scared to talk to them and try to become friends?? Sure. Was it because they were just as nervous as I was to step out of their comfort zone to include someone new who they did not know as well?? Most likely. The fact is that I am sure that all these reasons apply and then some.

The point is that it can be very hard to include and be hospitable to others we don't know as well. After all, you are asking yourself to step outside your own boundaries and in a way making yourself vulnerable when you don't have to be. The sad truth is that this can still happen as an adult. However, I don't believe that it is as obvious because I think that this kind of behavior can be viewed as being "Junior Highish" and then dismissed as something that could never happen past those years. Thank God we have matured (well hopefully) and are able to allow ourselves to step out of our comfort zones with a little more confidence in ourselves. I know I try to because I know how it feels be the one left out of things.

So with that little explanation of our message this weekend, I am going to present you with the same challenge as we did to our Junior High youth group. I challenge you to step out of your circle and talk to someone you don't know as well as your close friends. Whether it be at church, work, the gym or wherever, take a few moments to say hello to someone you don't normally talk to but see all the time. I think this world would be a much better place if we were a little bit more hospitable to each other and a little less hostile.