Splish Splash

Hello, World!

Normally, I would say that I got nothing done today. It was a lazy day...

It sure felt like it. EXCEPT...

My cousin came over and checked my kitchen sink for me. He thinks he can fix it. I'm looking forward to having it working again so I can properly wash dishes and the floors won't get wet all the time.

I also mentioned my toilet while he was here. Showed him how I had to flush it without using the handle. He left and came back with some tools and parts and fixed it for me. (He's an ANGEL!)

And, I am SO grateful!

I also mentioned the tub faucet, but that was out of his territory. So, I turned to YouTUBE. I got enough of an idea of what to look at, so I proceeded on my own to see if I could help myself.

I turned the water off at the source, under the sink. I turned on the faucet to see if it was completely off. Then, I ran my hand down the pipe below to see if there were any leaks. I shook the pipe. Then turned it back on.

Water was coming out a little better. It looked like progress, so I tried it again. Twice. Each time progress. The last time it was ON! Praise the Lord!

Yes. I took a bath. I enjoyed the fruits of my labor. I was so PROUD of myself! I have a BATH TUB again!

There is something about taking a nice hot bath that makes you FEEL cleaner. And more relaxed.

I spent the rest of the day doing nothing much. Drinking a lot of tea. Eating chips and vienna wieners. And a BBQ sandwich from the Dollar Store.

I even contemplated giving the dogs a bath, too. Decided against it, as it is too cold outside right now.

Here I am! BLESSED!

Hope YOU are too!

One Step Away

Sometimes you just have to realize that it's time to lean back, accept reality and embrace the present. To focus on what might be in light of what has been seems redundant and a waste of time. It is then that you become one step away from where you are supposed to be.

What might be will never be, what has been is gone. What is REAL is the present. Plan from the present one baby step at a time instead of 10 giant steps that may trip before you get there. You will find that disappointment is far less likely to happen, and when it does, it's easier to recover.

I will not spend my life wanting, hoping, working for something that is unobtainable. I see, right now, what I can have, and I am reaching only for that. When I get it, I will reach for the next thing. Each step I take will lead me right where I'm supposed to be.

In one year I plan to look back and see the giant step I've taken to get there, rather than look forward to the miles ahead of me.

And, I will feel victorious, once again!

Happy Thanksgiving

This year has been especially hard for many of us here in the United States. From a pandemic brought on by Chinese carelessness, to the loss of loved ones around the globe, loss of businesses, loss of income, riots in the streets, uncertainty about the future and an obvious stolen election (which tops it all, because this is NOT the America we want to love!), 2020 has forever gained the title of "The year of no Toilet Paper".

But still, we have so much to be thankful for!

And no closure, no attempt to deny God His rightful place in all this, no amount of hatred against those who want nothing more than to love the traditions set forth by the founding fathers will stop our resolve to put aside our differences and be able to come together as family and friends, and fellow countrymen and women to say we are Thankful.

Here in my own home things have been rough this year. From dealing with pandemic rules, to debates with my housemates (who are on the opposite side of the political spectrum with their support), to rising food costs, meaning less food in the household (where one depends on a fixed Social Security income, another is unable to work and does not have the education or know-how to use technology in order to help himself get the necessary papers filed to have his own Social Security benefits started, and only one works in the household, but is barely able to pay the bills at this point), to dealing with job loss and finding suitable income just in time not to go under (Thank God Almighty!), we still have a LOT to be thankful for.

So, I spent the last of my money that was in the bank today -- determined that we were going to celebrate Thanksgiving somehow.

I bought some rotissouri chicken, some Welch's Sparkling Rose Soda, a big can of baked beans and a tub of potato salad, a loaf of bread, some cream for coffee and sugar for tea, and a couple of packages of Reese's Cups for dessert. It was all I could afford -- but it filled all three of us up.

We were thankful. We still have our health amidst the pandemic. We still talk to each other and show support where necessary in order to get through each day. We may argue political viewpoints, even yell at each other at times before stomping to our rooms, but at the end of the day we make sure we are all fed, warm and safe from the evil of the world outside the door to our home, no matter how much it may be falling apart. We have a God who is bigger than all of our fears, who will provide as our needs arise. And, here in America, there is still opportunity for growth (for the time being), so finding work has not proven too big of a challenge for me.

We have a LOT to be thankful for.

So, I was determined to have Thanksgiving. And, the guys REALLY appreciated it. I saw their depressed spirits visibly take form and rise with-in them as they smiled, and we ate, drank and were thankful together for this day and each other.

It was a welcomed atmosphere, and well worth the cost.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. May yours be at least as blessed as ours!

Thank You Lord, For Your Blessings On Me!

Thanksgiving is coming soon. This year, I fore-went the usual "post something you are thankful for each day until Thanksgiving" tradition.

But, today, I'd like to Thank Jesus for, once again, helping me find a way when there didn't seem a way.

Thank You, Jesus, for my new position financially.

Thank You, Jesus, for old friends, new friends, the opportunity to make friends, and all the other people you put into my life to pray for!

Thank You, Jesus, for my family, who holds me up and gives me a compass when I can't seem to get it together.

Thank You, Jesus, for my health -- mentally and physically.

Most of all, Jesus, Thank YOU for my salvation and my hope!

Without YOU I am NOTHING! Without YOU I am weak. Without YOU I have nothing to look forward to, no hope, no reason to exist.

When I am at my lowest, I find myself on my knees, praising YOU -- because I am still alive. I still get to wake up tomorrow. Therefore, I know, there is a REASON I am still here, and that YOU won't let me drown, and it gives me the strength to keep climbing -- no matter how steep the climb.

So, today is about YOU, dear sweet Jesus!

THANK YOU!

Bright Future

I think I've found my niche'.

I recently applied to be an Uber Driver. I didn't think it would amount to anything more than just "pocket money"; but, the more I look into it and study it, the more potential I see in actually making a good living at it!

I can travel anywhere in my state to work. It will be the thing that helps me accomplish my dreams! I will be able to visit every town in Texas, see the homeless shelters, visit the churches, make new friends, and even sell my Avon while I am at it! And, all the while, I will be getting paid!

The best thing about it is that I can sleep late, work late, work as little or as much as I want, take time off to spend with family and friends (I can now accept all those invitations to gatherings I've been seeing!

I can get involved. I can embrace. I can feel GOOD doing it!

And, I can pay off my debts.

I can GIVE!

THAT, more than anything, is what I will like about it!

I am SO looking forward to this!

If this works out, then getting fired from my job at the Pitt Grill was the BEST thing that ever happened to me!

Every Step of the Way

Me and Donald Trump have SO MUCH IN COMMON!

I can't count the number of times I've been told something was impossible.

"Your life is over."
"President of what?"
"You probably aren't hire-able anywhere"
"You don't have the skills"
"You need to find a good man to take care of you or you won't survive".
"You will never amount to anything"
"You are nothing but red-neck trash"
"You are so ungrateful"
"You don't have what it takes"
"You are ALWAYS going to be alone"
"Nobody likes you."
"You stink"
"You are too slow"
"You aren't smart enough"
"You have a bad reputation"
"That will NEVER happen"
"You are ugly."
"You are too rude."
"You are too uncouth"
"You are too greedy."
"You are too selfish."

If I had listened to all that, I would have never done half the things I've done in my life. I would have never had half of the experiences I've had, and I would have NO HOPE right now.

I will NOT lay down and give up. I will fight until the day I die.

And, I WILL survive until God sees fit to stop me.

But...dang...sometimes I get SO tired of working to prove everyone WRONG!

So many times I've heard it...

"You never listen to anyone!" (Thank GOD!)

and then,

"How did YOU ever get where you are?"

I'll tell you how:

I believed in God when I couldn't believe in myself.
I fought every step of the way to get here.

I am not rich. I may be homeless in a month or two -- again. I am getting old. I am not strong. I don't have lots of talent. I am not famous.

But, I am ME. And, I am alive. I am not hungry. I am not cold. I am not sickly. I am not a weakling. I wake up every morning to fight through another day...to say I did SOMETHING productive, no matter how small.

To start over, if I need to.

Success is not how much money you make or what you own or how well you are known. Success is the ability to survive and still love with all you have, even in the face of hate and resistance.

When God Has Another Plan...

Hello, World!

Yes, the election has me depressed -- I'm sure like so many others who feel disenfranchised. But, I'm still praying. God is in control, no matter who wins...and I don't always have to like God's plan. I just need to accept that there is a good reason for it!

I lost my beloved Pitt Grill job on the day after my birthday. If I was looking for a reason to transform myself, well, one jumped in my lap. LOL. I sure didn't think I'd be looking for a new job so soon.

I love selling Avon, but sales are slow and it isn't enough for me to do it as a sole source of income. So, I had to apply for SNAP benefits and Unemployment. I think I was supposed to request payment yesterday, but failed to. I have to wait until tomorrow before I can do so.

I also think I may have one more small paycheck coming on Monday.

Me, being the resourceful enterpriser that I am, though, I started looking for other ways to make a little money on the side.

I signed up to drive for Uber. I wanted to deliver for Uber Eats, but they don't have anything going on in my neck of the woods. I am currently waiting on my background check to go through (the last step toward acceptance into the program). I also applied for a delivery job with another company -- WAITr. I was accepted today, and will try to start experimenting with the app tomorrow.

After I clean out my car. LOL

Hopefully my background check will have gone through by then, too.

I am also looking for other opportunities to make money, both on and off-line. Stay tuned for updates about that!

In my personal life, I've decided that life is what it is. No sense trying to force your way through anything, because everything works on God's time table. So, now I'm just drifting ... and smelling the roses as I go.

Have a blessed day!

Social Awakening

This country is full of idiots. It is OFFICIAL. I really thought we were better than this.

It's okay. My focus is now in concrete for the next 4 years.

Small business is ruined now. Economy is ruined. Freedom is gone. Oppression is eminent. Jobs will decline. Poverty will grow.

Enjoy your communist take-over of America.

YOU let it happen.

For those of you who voted Democrat because you thought you were going to get another stimulus check for doing so...

Good luck with that. I HIGHLY doubt you will ever see it. You would have been better off voting for Trump. At least he would have TRIED to get you one.

Now all the rioting will stop, but the persecution will grow. People will be attacked simply for who they are and what they believe and the government will not help you.

Oh...when you all get tired of the status quo that is eminent, remember:

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

Daniel 8:25
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”