:: Sisters' Weblog: It Bloggles the Mind! ::

Better Day

Yesterday was not good. My assistant manager is gone. She moved to Florida. She was special and I appreciated her more than anyone can know. She carried a lot of my burden at work and now I am left with an inexperienced trainee in her place. Stress.

Corporate is demanding waaaaaaaaaaay too much out of me. Stress.

Planner, which takes 4 days to do accurately, is due tonight. I haven't started it. Stress.

Shipment from last Friday still isn't out. Another shipment due in tomorrow. Stress.

One of the people I wanted to hire, took another job. I am short staffed. Stress.

It's raining and the $1600 I spent making the necessary repairs to waterproof my bedroom was worthless. The water now comes in more than before. I have now spent another $50 on a Shop Vac to extract the water from the room and will need to replace the wall to wall carpeting. So, for $1600, I got more expenses and a wet room. I've been sleeping in the laundry room on my futon mattress. The dryer keeps me warm and the vibration is rather comforting. Its the BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ that scares me half to death when I am sleeping! When I called the guy to demand my money back, he told me that since he has to pay for labor and materials and did in fact do the work, that he would send me back half. So, for $800 I got more expenses and a room. I'm not gonna cash that refund check. I'm talking to a lawyer. Stress. (Like I have money for a lawyer!)

Spent some money on needed car repairs, more money than I wanted to spend. Stress.

I'm almost out of hot chocolate. Stress.

Today, was better. I walked into my store this morning and it was clean. Not spotless clean, but my new assistant had tidied up the backroom and mopped the floor! Even scraped up old price stickers and made it look good! I was pleased! He did a great job! That set the mood for my day! I called him at home on his day off to thank him and tell him how much I appreciated that!

Walking into that backroom this am motivated me to continue the effort and clean up more around the store. My store is so hard to keep alphabetized and organized with the lack of labor hours and the trouble LVS has started and it seems so defeating. Today, I alphabetized the entire VHS section and organized it and priced it accurately! Wooohoooo! I am proud of that effort today! We actually have a new sales planner due today, but I decided that my store needs more organizing right now than all this pricing stuff. How can I accurately price anyway when stuff is not where it is supposed to be! I fixed that today. At least part of that.

My new FT Key came in today. She came in to get her paperwork and part of it requires a form that has been updated. I don't have the updated form, so I called another manager from a store in Memphis. He is going to email that to me. I also called hoping to "vent" and he was obliged to listen. I also asked him what I may be doing wrong and he said that all managers are feeling quite overwhelmed right now. I wasn't doing anything wrong, I simply don't have enough labor hours to get done what is required. It didn't help my situation in anyway except to know that it isn't me. I was affirming that I was doing all I could to stay afloat. So, I felt a little better and then Chris said "and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better". That was reassuring. I'm exhausted!

I'm really excited about my new hire. I think she will be fun and will do a great job! I sure do need her too!

When I came home, my friend had dinner prepared and we all sat down and ate together as a framily. Even the neighbor kid was with us, (as he usually is for spaghetti) he says "Miss Katrina makes it better than my mom!" It's good to share meals.

Tomorrow my DM will be visiting. He is behind too. I know this because he is not catching all I am behind with! LOL He is supposed to help me out some, but it won't be enough. I would need at least 40 extra hours a week to get caught up, and stay caught up. That just won't happen. I guess I will just go in and work like I'm working for the Lord, even though corp. expects me to work like I AM the Lord! LOL

Got an email just now from Mom who was giving me an update on my Grandma who is in the hospital. She will be released soon and is accepting the fact that she will probably not be going back to her apartment, but to assisted living. She is very weak and needs some help. More help than my parents can provide for her around the clock. But, the situation will hopefully be a good one for my Grandma. She just hasn't been the same since Grandpa died almost 4 years ago. Her heart is still broken and she misses him terribly...married almost 65 years!

So, all in all, today was a better day. I prayed on my way to work. My friend prayed for me too. My SaLT group is praying for me. My mom prays for me. Lots of prayer today...hmmmmmmmmmm...my day was good. My attitude was better. Hmmmmmmm? Connection? I think so. SO WHY DON'T I PRAY MORE OFTEN? duh.


:: Susan 2/26/2003 08:29:54 PM ** ** [+] ::
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This is something that I came upon by clicking a link. It makes my heart hurt so bad because it does contain some truth.

Religion

Spent a morning a few days back reading the last three chapters of the New Testament and came to the conclusion that anyone believing in such voodoo must be illiterate and whoever wrote it must have been quite unexceptional... you'd think Jews- who have such a great literary tradition- could've mustered something with a bit more flair. I'm quite glad secular consumerism has displaced the theological meaning once attached to seasons such as Christmas and further pleased that more people have read the Ikea catalogue than the Bible.

I see so many writings such as this and such warped thinking! This person doesn't claim to be a saved person (as far as I know) but, some people say they are saved by grace and then write such horrible stuff about the Bible and God....where's the grace? It's so obvious in their teachings that they don't have the discernment of the Holy Spirit when they read the Bible. They warp the meaning of scriptures and turn them into horrible ugly things and say that God says that we are supposed to be this way! Even Satan can quote the scriptures. I have read blogs from Christian people who portray God to be like Saddam Hussein! I feel sorry for those who are searching for hope and fall prey to these evil teachings that are straight from Hell.

Sometimes I wish God would grant me a gift to change the world. The Bible says that with God all things are possible. However, I need to be realistic. I know I can't change the world but I can help by reaching out to one person at a time.

Father, I pray for those who are searching to fill that void created only for you. I pray for those who are deceived and practice deception using the Bible. Lord, protect them from the evil misinterpretations of your Holy Word. I pray for your wisdom and discernment in my life when I read and speak of the Truths in Your book. Help me to make a difference for You. In the name of the most holy, precious One who died so that I might live, Amen.

:: Katie 2/24/2003 02:33:24 PM ** ** [+] ::
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There's Something About Rain

Sue and I have been struggling (not with each other) lately because of the rain. I'm sure we've mentioned the fact that it has been seeping into one of our rooms and has been wreaking havoc on our lives. Every time it rains I get this feeling of dread and I curse the rain. I even told Sue I was about to start praying for a drought (I haven't so if one occurs please don't hold me accountable)! Anyhow, today I got this e-mail. It was a forward from one of our regulars. Most of the time Sue just deletes them (which is not such a bad thing since most of them have been circulating for years and we get repeats all of the time). I delete them too if I don't have time to read them. Usually though, I skim through to see if it's worth reading and if it is, I will read it. Today I came across a fwd that really was applicable to my life. I had tears. So, I thought that I would put it in my blog to spare all of you anti-fwd people another annoying forward. Here it goes.......

RAIN

She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Walmart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in.

"Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said
as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. It was a time when innocent trust can be nurtured, so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But, they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But, no one can ever take away your precious memories...

So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

It has been said that it only takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

To quote one of those special people in my life........

"enuf said"

:: Katie 2/24/2003 02:03:14 PM ** ** [+] ::
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The Perfect Church

If you find the perfect church, go to it! But, you'll be messing it up!

:: Susan 2/24/2003 09:28:36 AM ** ** [+] ::
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