Go To The Light

Today, I had my usual lunch date with customers, and heard the cutest story.

One of my customers was outside with his 7 year old son this past weekend. The son was riding his bike, and father and son were navigating a make-shift agility course. The son was distracted by whatever his father was doing, and suffered a mighty crash.

As the father recounts, the bike, with his son still astride it, crashed forever and ever. Once the bike came to a stop, the son jumped off, and ran into the neighbor’s driveway, screaming.

Son: “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad! Call an ambulance right now! Call 911!”

Dad, getting to the son: “Son, hang on – you’re okay! Be quiet so I can check you over!”

Son, (I imagined him thrashing about): “Call an ambulance! I’m too young to die! I need to go to the emergency room!”

Dad: “Son, shhhhhh – be still, let me check you out!”

Son: “Dad, please, please, call 911, now!”

Dad: “Why, son? I think you’re going to be fine!”

Son: "Because, Dad, I don’t want to go to the light! Please, Dad, call them, ‘cause I’m too young to go to the light!”

The scratch was about 4 inches long. No stitches. Just antibiotic cream, and a bandage.

No light.

Living on Transition Time

Sorry I’ve not been posting, but this has been one of the craziest weeks in existence for this girl…I have tried to at least read a few of your blogs, but my computer (it’s a work loaner) keys have been sticking, so I was unable to leave comments.

Sunday morning, we flew to Houston, then came back home late Monday night.

Tuesday, meetings all day at work, and then I gave my resignation notice around 5:30 that evening. Late that night, send out notification e-mails to many of my customers about such notice. It’s hard leaving the “family” at my current job, but I’m excited about my new one which starts soon. Still, I covet your prayers for the transition time.

Wednesday morning, leave for Lafayette for a national board meeting (side events, crawfish boil and a Mardi Gras Social – sweet!).

Thursday morning (prior to the meeting), answer about a million e-mails and phone calls from said customers.

Friday morning, board plane to come back home at 10:30 a.m., finally arrive at Midland around 5 p.m. God bless Continental Airlines, they need it. (Some things never change!)

Yup, it’s been a busy week.

"How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You"

Elder Son finally showed up to have Christmas with us, so I can now let the cat out of the bag, as it were…

Want to know how to make your musically-inclined husband and sons jump for joy?

Give them (and thus, yourself) this and, tucked inside the cover, tickets for a family trip to this* for Christmas. Suhweeeeeet.

Music – the gift that keeps on giving (and keeps four equally diverse family members together) even through the summer!

Isn’t it July yet???

*The link is twitching...but it is supposed to take you to the James Taylor concert at Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. We can hardly wait!!

Almost Stalker Status

As y'all know, it's been really busy in my world lately. I can only describe it as totally crazy. It's hard to get all my work done and still take care of what non-profit works I help. To that end, I received this e-mail today, and it was so cute, I had to share it with y'all.

Hey Janie,

I thought to myself last night, "Maybe Janie is avoiding me and doesn't want to eat lunch with a wonderful person like myself", HMMMM. Then I quickly corrected myself because, although I haven't known you for years, I have seen enough of you to know that you are NOT the passive-aggressive type. So I felt much better. LOL

Anyway, call me before we get to stalker status.

Tamara

It was such a funny e-mail, I answered her call tonight. Creativity and fun gets me every time!

Tamara puts on the Rock Bottom House Shoot. Read here about last year's event. During weekday lunch hours, the Rock Bottom House is a cafe in Odessa. Right after lunch, the place ceases being a café, and turns into a safe place for young people - a Christian place where the younger crowd can be tutored, work on computers, their homework, play ping pong and pool, and just hang out until their parents or guardians come home. Cool, huh?

Yep, I think I'll go save her from attaining stalker status and go to lunch tomorrow. I might even buy.

Election Joke

Electile Dysfunction : the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.

(Disclaimer: Received via e-mail this morning, thought I'd share...please don't shoot the messenger...)

Life and Death in the Tongue (or What the Heck Happened to my Windshield?)

You know, the Bible says the tongue has the power of life and death. That means our words are powerful.

Therefore, I should probably quit confessing “It’s never boring around here.” But, the truth is, it’s not. Here’s proof!

Pam’s friend Cindy from Nashville came over Thursday night, and we went out to eat. Cindy is working in the Midland area on a contract basis. We came back to the house, and Cindy asked for my contact information so we could get together. I had no business cards in the house, so went out to my truck to get one. It was 10:00 p.m.

Pam needed some things, and I needed film for the Friday hunt, so I went back outside to run to Walmart. It was now 10:15 p.m. I hit “unlock” on my keys to get into my truck. The interior lights came on as I rounded the back of the truck.

To my shock, this is what I saw.

Shattered glass. Not looking good. Upon closer inspection, I found a BB Pellet hole, in my window.

And then, I made the wise move to open my door, so as to better see. The natural vacuum in the truck blew the window wide open when I opened the door.
















Sweet. And MLH is out of town. Two women, a little shocky, in the middle of the dark, dark street. Pam says "We should probably go back inside and call the cops." You think? (The voice of reason always comes forth, thank God.)

I called the police, and they respond immediately. It seems there has been a rash of BB Gun vandalism in our quiet little town. Some arrests had been made prior to my incident, so the police thought “they had their man.” Dudes - I have some fast breaking news for you. Your job is not quite finished.

Younger Son came to help me knock the rest of the glass out, and sweep up the street. Pam, ingenious one that she is, made a pattern of the opposite window, and cut out a cardboard “replacement window”. We taped it to my truck.

We finally got finished right about midnight.

Here’s my new confession: "It is really, positively, in a super good awesome kind of way, boring around here.”

How to Win Friends and Influence People 101a

My friend Pam O is flying in today.

I called her earlier to let her know that I was making alternate arrangements to pick her up from the airport.

Me: Hey, I’ve got a service quality meeting, so Younger Son will be picking you up from the airport.

Pam O: That’s great!

Me: So, call on his mobile when you hit the runway, and he’ll be at the baggage claim when you come down the escalator. Then, he’s going to take you to lunch, and to the house, and I’ll call you when I get loose.

Pam O: All right, that will be good.

Me: Oh, by the way, we’re going hunting in the morning with some of my customers.

Pam O: (silence)

Me: Not really hunting.

Pam O: Oh, good! (sounding very relieved)

Me: Well, we really are going hunting, but we’re not hunting, I’m just going to be taking pictures.

Pam O: Oh.

Me: It will be fun, I promise. (Oh, yeah, I’m selling hard – I’m thinking Pam’s not quite the hunting type.)

Pam O: (hesitantly) Okay.

Me: So, we’ll have an early morning, but the good side is, we’ll get to hang out together all day.

Pam O: (way less enthusiastic than me) Ooooookay.

That Pam, she’s a trooper! Hmmmmm…wonder how she’ll feel about wearing camo and an orange vest?