I do not enjoy shopping. I never have. I likely never will. It’s just not my thing. Yesterday, I had to stop at the neighborhood hardware store on the way home. Even before I got into the correct turning lane to visit the store I knew my mission. I only needed two items, grass seed and wasp killer spray. Even before I parked the car I visualized the two aisles in the store where these two items are located. This would be a three-to-five minute trip I thought.
Immediately I go to the grass seed aisle. I look over the choices and within two minutes determine what I need. One down, one to go. Now on to the dangerous sprays and chemicals aisle. And standing there is my worst shopping nightmare…a couple engrossed in reading seemingly every ingredient on every can on every shelf on this very aisle.
I suppose I’m too much of a nice guy to butt in and go eyeballing this aisle to find what I need. I mean I hate it when I’m treated that way. So, I walk back to the grass seed aisle and take another couple of minutes making sure the grass seed I have in my hands is what I think I need. Surely by now I think, I can get on the bug-killing spray aisle. Yet, when I return to that aisle, there the couple is, still engrossed in label-reading.
Okay, I tell myself. Give them another minute or two. So, I then begin wandering the aisles. Light bulbs, pet care, lawnmowers, shower accessories, plumbing supplies, air conditioner filters, ladders, closet organizers. Now nearly ten minutes later, I find myself exiting an aisle and almost running into the couple who had kept me roadblocked from the bug spray aisle earlier.
I then begin to make my move toward the aisle I had so long wanted to visit. As I make my way there though, I see someone else approaching. Looking at him I try to gauge where he is going. As I look for his eyes I ask myself will looking there clue me in on where he is headed? Yet I already know where he intends to go. And although I arrive at the bug spray aisle two steps before him he steps onto that very same aisle with me just as I knew deep down inside me he would.
So there we are both looking for some sort of spray or poison and I notice that what I am looking for is directly in front of where this gentleman is standing. Of course, it would be. After all, this was only going to be a five minute excursion and now I have tripled that.
So, I apologize and step back down the aisle in front of my fellow aisle-sharer. I locate the spray I need and venture toward the checkout. There, one cashier totals sales for the five or six of us in line.
Three to five minutes has turned into twenty minutes by the time I leave. I suppose this is why shopping and I don’t always see eye-to-eye. I knew what I needed, knew where it was located and still couldn’t work my plan in spite of planning my work.
As I drive away toward home I toss over in my mind how much money I just spent. I try in some way to balance the checkbook in my head. As I do that my mind briefly drifts off track and I wonder about the other thing I just spent that I can’t now get back. Time. Too bad, I can’t go shopping for time, although if I could I probably wouldn’t have the patience nor take the time to do so.
3.20.2009
3.14.2009
A Prayer for My Parents
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for life and the many blessings of life.
Thank you, Father, for my parents.
Father, bless them with health and happiness.
Help them, Father, to be active servants for You.
Father, bless them as they grow older together that they
might become closer to each other and to You.
Father, help them to be what You want them to be.
Use them, Father, in Your kingdom to bring glory
and honor to Your name.
Father, thank You for their years of devotion to each other.
Father, thank You for providing them to us as parents, grandparents,
and friends.
Father, thank You for their love of wanting to do right.
Father, we are mindful of the years of sacrifice and hard work they
have shared together to make the home they now share.
Father, thank You for providing for their needs greater than needed.
Father, thank You for those who had a hand in putting these two together.
Father, thank You for all these years together.
Continue to bless them and hold them in the palm of Your hand.
Father, welcome them into Your heavenly kingdom one day.
In the name of Your Son and our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
Amen.
On March 6, 2009, my parents celebrated 60 years of marriage. I thank God for them and ask that He watch over them from day to day.
Thank you for life and the many blessings of life.
Thank you, Father, for my parents.
Father, bless them with health and happiness.
Help them, Father, to be active servants for You.
Father, bless them as they grow older together that they
might become closer to each other and to You.
Father, help them to be what You want them to be.
Use them, Father, in Your kingdom to bring glory
and honor to Your name.
Father, thank You for their years of devotion to each other.
Father, thank You for providing them to us as parents, grandparents,
and friends.
Father, thank You for their love of wanting to do right.
Father, we are mindful of the years of sacrifice and hard work they
have shared together to make the home they now share.
Father, thank You for providing for their needs greater than needed.
Father, thank You for those who had a hand in putting these two together.
Father, thank You for all these years together.
Continue to bless them and hold them in the palm of Your hand.
Father, welcome them into Your heavenly kingdom one day.
In the name of Your Son and our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
Amen.
On March 6, 2009, my parents celebrated 60 years of marriage. I thank God for them and ask that He watch over them from day to day.
3.05.2009
Still Crazy After The First Five Years
Bawdy movie actress Mae West is credited with the quote, “Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution yet.” Several years ago before I was married I was asked to write an article for my college alumni newsletter. I chose the topic of being unmarried and in my thirties. I started the whole piece off with West’s quote.
On face value, the quote seems like a sarcastic swipe at marriage. And maybe, the ol’ gal meant it that way. Maybe, though, it can be taken another way. In today’s world logic gets twisted by our government, our media and everyone else, so, please allow me to do the same.
While Mae’s quip is cute and a good attention-grabber, I think there may be some truth to her snide remark. Really, let me explain.
Mae ties marriage and an institution together and implies that getting married leads one into a place where you get better. Straight up, political correctness aside, Mae is saying in order to get married you first have to be crazy. And really you have to be.
You have to be crazy over the one you are marrying.
The logic continues from here. If one is crazy, one needs to be in an institution. When you are placed in such an institution, people often say you are being committed to that institution. And really, commitment in a marriage is a very good thing.
You have to be committed to the one you are marrying and the promises you make with one another.
And of course, once you are in an institution, the hope is you get better.
Of course if you are crazy about your spouse and committed to your spouse, then life truly is better than it was before marriage.
On March 6, Jennifer and I celebrate our first five years together in that institution known as marriage.
Jennifer, I’m still crazy about you, I’m still committed to you and our promises and life is better now than at any other time in my life thanks to you. Thanks for being institutionalized with me!
On face value, the quote seems like a sarcastic swipe at marriage. And maybe, the ol’ gal meant it that way. Maybe, though, it can be taken another way. In today’s world logic gets twisted by our government, our media and everyone else, so, please allow me to do the same.
While Mae’s quip is cute and a good attention-grabber, I think there may be some truth to her snide remark. Really, let me explain.
Mae ties marriage and an institution together and implies that getting married leads one into a place where you get better. Straight up, political correctness aside, Mae is saying in order to get married you first have to be crazy. And really you have to be.
You have to be crazy over the one you are marrying.
The logic continues from here. If one is crazy, one needs to be in an institution. When you are placed in such an institution, people often say you are being committed to that institution. And really, commitment in a marriage is a very good thing.
You have to be committed to the one you are marrying and the promises you make with one another.
And of course, once you are in an institution, the hope is you get better.
Of course if you are crazy about your spouse and committed to your spouse, then life truly is better than it was before marriage.
On March 6, Jennifer and I celebrate our first five years together in that institution known as marriage.
Jennifer, I’m still crazy about you, I’m still committed to you and our promises and life is better now than at any other time in my life thanks to you. Thanks for being institutionalized with me!
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