What A Kid

I received a call from Diego's school this afternoon. Usually when I see the school number on the caller ID I expect to hear a frantic secretary on the other end of the line tell me Diego has run away and the police have been called. Not today.

It was the principal. She wanted to tell me about something good and honest Diego had done today. See, Diego was having some trouble in Art class and needed to go out of the room for a break. On his way back to the Art classroom, he found a $10 bill on the floor. His substitute teacher saw him pick up the bill and immediately turn to tell an adult what he had found without even the slightest movement to put the money into his pocket.

The teacher decided to put the money into the his desk and instructed Diego not to tell anyone that he had found it. If no one mentioned the money, in a few days it could be Diego's.

Not long after, one of Diego's good friends said he had lost his lunch money. Diego asked, "How much was it?"

The boy said, "Ten dollars."

So, Diego said, "I know where it is," and took his friend to the teacher to retrieve the money.

The typical 8 year old would have shoved the money into their pocket and never said a word about it. I find Diego's honesty to be refreshing and his loyalty to his friends speaks for itself. What a kid. My special kid.

Just some stuff

*So, Thanksgiving was a week ago... we had dinner at my sister's house in Temperance, MI and had a good time. Anytime the sisters get together under the same roof there is just too much fun to write about.
*Friday and Saturday I spent with my sisters shopping... what happens with the sisters, stays with the sisters!
*On Sunday, the announcement came about our new Pastor of Students! Yeah! Welcome Milan and Jen Bittenbender to the Crossroads family. I am confident under this new leadership our students will experience God in a way they've never thought possible.
*We had an incredible meeting for the Project Share team leaders on Monday night. I appreciate every one who has stepped up to help reach our community through Food. Love. Hope. Only 16 days before the event, I can hardly wait to see how the community will be impacted for eternity!
*Diego was student of the week last week, even though he ran away from school on Monday afternoon and the police had to find him and bring him back.
*I am going flower shopping this morning with the bride whose wedding is 6/7/08. It's gonna be fun!
*I don't have my Christmas shopping done, it's started but no where near finished. I really don't know when I'm going to get to it either.
*At this time of year especially, I miss my parents. They are both in heaven sitting at the feet of Jesus. I am blessed to have had such incredible, Godly influences in my life through them.
That's about all the random stuff floating around in my head today.

Contributing to the Delinquency...

Those who know me and who have been in my home know I have a rather large Coca-Cola collection... no Pepsi, seriously it doesn't fit into my collection. Its taste is far inferior to Coke.

This past Sunday night we invited the small group that recently launched from ours to come over for a fun night and Mexicana Thanksgiving. Through the years of doing life with this group of insane folks, I have been the recipient of various, slanderous Coca-Cola comments, empty Pepsi bottles left behind hidden in the most unusual places, and if I didn't purchase Diet Coke to drink we would, at times have had only Pepsi products to serve.

We had a wonderful time, as always. As people were leaving, one of Diego's favorite babysitters (she's just turned 13, this is where the delinquency comes in) asked if I had perhaps already found the Pepsi bottle she had placed in my living room. Now, understand that her father, who serves on the Safety team at church with me, is usually the person who leaves behind the empty Pepsi bottle. He had taught her an unthinkable act... that of strategically placing the contraband somewhere to be found at a later time by the unsuspecting, trusting Coca-Cola collector.

I had not seen, nor did I as I turned to look at that moment, the Pepsi bottle in question. I knew I would find it sooner or later and hopefully before the deposit on it was out of date.

Well, Monday arrived and I got up with my usual 6 a.m. alarm to trudge downstairs to take a shower. As I pulled back the shower curtain my still glazed eyes noticed something sitting on the shower bench... anyone care to hazzard a guess as to what I found? Tom? Michele? Hanna?

Contraband found... an empty, 2-liter Pepsi bottle staring at me, startling me, waiting for me to scream at the sight of it. I must admit I looked for a hidden camera somewhere in the shower. Thankfully, I did not find one!

Food For Thought...

This blog posting about church signage is cynically, sarcastically hilarious!
Check it out.

My boys got elfed

Watch my boys bust a move!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9517061652

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9514896514

And my boy with his friend... watch out Dancing With The Stars!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9517061652

Customer Service

In a previous life I worked in the customer service field. I dealt with people all of the time, nice ones and mean ones.
Today I became one of the mean ones. May I just ask why it takes an act of Congress to get what I need? Seriously, when something is legally mine, why is it so ridiculously difficult to take possession of it?
I'm told by a representative of this office to come in to pick something up, it will be ready in an hour. Okay, I take their word for it and drive several miles to the office. I am met by an inept woman who has no clue what to tell me about my request. However, she did produce the folder I needed but wouldn't allow me to have it. She said someone had just left for lunch and I would have to wait for their return.
In the meantime, the inept woman carries my folder around with her like it's public property and left it on the counter.
Now, I could have been bad and picked it up and walked out the door with it without anyone even noticing it was missing. But, I was still giving the benefit of the doubt that I would walk out in possession of said folder.
An hour later, I was confronted with yet another woman, rude and distasteful as she was, and told there is no way I can have the folder, she may be able to get to it by Wednesday or Thursday, if not then, next week some time.
I told her that wasn't good enough, I needed it today before I left. Now, hold on to your ears folks, because this is exactly what she told me... ready?
"You must realize we're doing you a favor by even copying this folder and there is no way you can have it this week."
I demanded to talk to her manager - you know, the one who had left for lunch an hour and a half previously.
Then, this is good, I was escorted to a private room where I had to wait for this manager. Must be I was causing a scene in the lobby or they thought I was going to anyway.
The manager is someone I have known for some time. She was not nice to me at first, I explained the situation and demanded that she do something about getting my personal property to me. She explained her plight of being understaffed. I must had had my "Who cares" look on and she told me, "I know that's not your problem."
Okay, I could have the pages I need faxed to the office it needs to go to this afternoon and she would do that personally.
I left without the folder but with that promise. Guess what, she called to explain yet another problem that I need to attend to.
Doctor's offices can be so frustrating.

I'm To Be Crowned!

My dentist is a great guy (pun intended, his last name is Guy). He is a very gentle dentist, I've been a patient of his for nearly 20 years.
My first experience in his chair was to have a tooth extracted. Eventually I began to keep regular 6 month check-up appointments with a few visits in between for more extensive work. I've got decent teeth despite heredity.
About 2 weeks ago I visited my dentist's office for one of those regular 6 month check-ups. I expected to walk out after hearing the usual, "Everything looks good, see you in 6 months." No such luck. X-rays showed a stress crack in a back molar that needs to be crowned. What fun.
So, today I went back to the dentist's office for the first round of grinding, chipping, drilling, slobbering, painful excitement. Three shots of happy juice and my entire face was numb... for hours! That was fun. Temporary crown on, can't chew anything except my cheeks and tongue.
The happy juice is worn off now. Pain is my friend and I'm not so sure I want to go back for a repeat to have the permanent crown put on. Maybe my memory will fade by then - yeah, right.

They're Out There

We've all seen them, passed them in a store or on the street. Perhaps you've chosen to ignore them. I'm not pointing a finger or trying to place blame. I'm simply saying they are everywhere and may easily be overlooked.
See, they don't fit a certain description or class.
I'm talking about hungry, hurting people who are going to sleep tonight without enough to eat. Little kids, babies, elderly grandparents, moms and dads. Poverty stricken and once well to do, some have never known anything else. Hunger knows no boundaries.
Crossroads Community Church has just launched a project which will reach out to those who are hungry, searching, and feeling as though no one cares about them. We're calling it Project Share: Food. Love. Hope.
We're bringing 2 semi loads of food and personal care items to the community for distribution to impoverished families...800 to be exact.
Project Share is about much more than food. It's about reflecting the love of Christ with those who receive a box of food and sharing the hope that can only be found in Him.
Obviously this isn't a long term solution to the problem of physical hunger but it just might cause someone to take their next step toward Christ... and that's eternal.