Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
I was at work today when my boss came in to my office to ask me a question about Easter dresses for little girls (I have a 10-year old daughter).
First of all let me say that my daughter thinks my boss is the bees knees. She met her about two years ago and they instantly hit it off as my boss graciously listened to the precocious chatter of a young girl and shared similar likes (books, reading, etc) and even came up with a nickname for my son – Booger – although I should probably let her know that Farter is now more appropriate.
Anyway, said boss has the cool office with knick-knacks and bobble heads and trinkets galore, enough to entertain even the most easily bored person on the planet. Top off her super cool office with her genuine chuckle that makes me smile when I hear it (she also whistles now and again which is a happy sound to me). She’s just a really funny person.
She is also a very generous person. She’s given Little Miss cool books to read for her birthday, and for the past two Christmases has given some sort of food-providing program donation in honor of the company/coworkers. Christmas is usually the time I start thinking about being generous to others.
So what do dresses, little girls and my boss have in common?
Hang on I’m getting there.
Miss Boss came into my office today asking me about Easter dresses. You see, her church has a program akin to the Christmas tree where you pick up info on a youngster and provide an Easter outfit or other need for them. She’s getting a 10-year old girl a dress. And maybe some shoes. I wouldn’t put it past her to get a purse and a hat and gloves and a real-live bunny if she thought the little girl would enjoy it.
I thought it was so sweet and thoughtful of her. I remember when I was a little girl, even a young teenager, and going on the crazy, headache-inducing shopping trip that was “Find an Easter dress” with my mom. All the angst of shopping couldn’t douse my excitement Easter morning when I carefully pulled on my brand-new white tights, zipped up my new pretty dress, buckled up my white and unscuffed Mary Jane shoes (they always had black scuffs by the end of the day!) and put on my new hat and Easter gloves, topped off with a new Easter purse. The super girly ruffly-bottomed bloomers I never got, however. =)
I haven’t always been able to provide brand new Easter outfits for my own 10-year old, and I think her last 5 or 6 get-ups have been too-big hand-me-downs or just her best yes-I-know-you-wore-that-last-year-but-hush-and-put-it-on blouse and skirt. We always made do and my kids have never whined or complained about it in the end.
To know some little gal out there is going to be blessed with such a fine dress for a special day makes me feel positively good inside.
I shared this information with my daughter when I got home from work today. She’s inspired too, so much so that she wants to purchase a purse and earrings to give to Miss Boss to donate with her dress.
In reading this I’m aiming for a few things: I hope to inspire you to remember the fun of gussying up for Easter Sunday, whether you are off to church or to share a special family meal. This lovely Spring weather brings with it a reminder that life renews after a long season of gloomy cold, bringing brightness and joy along with colors of Easter flowers and colored-eggs.
New life brings hope to troubled seasons in life.
I see that newness reflected in my own family, particularly my daughter who had her own troubled season last year but is blossoming into a kind, empathetic and generous young lady. I hope her enthusiasm for Miss Boss’ generosity continues to grow as she seeks opportunities to give to others.
I hope you are all encouraged to look around your own church, synagogue, place of worship or community to see the current needs there: clothing, shoes, food, a new backpack, heck – even a hug. Be generous this Spring season and breathe new life into those around you with a positive and caring attitude.
Perhaps a (preapproved) trip with goodies to the children’s ward at the hospital, or woman’s shelter, orphanage or other helpful organization will give YOU the lift you need right now in addition to blessing someone else.
=)
Oy. I posted this blog (below) once before and have forwarded it to several people who continue to send me STUPID and LAME CRAP email. It’s driving me crazy. I’m pretty sure I’ve developed a nervous tick. To top it off, I’m being invited to join a million a lot of groups on Facebook, promising me that if I join their group and invite all my friends, then I will gain treasures untold. Truth is… wait let me repeat that: TRUTH IS you don’t HAVE to join the group to see what link they are promoting, and you don’t HAVE to be a genius to know that it’s just a bunch of crap spam anyway!!!!!!! SO STOP IT!!!
*hem*
Here it is…
My email box is frequently cluttered with various emails from well meaning friends and relatives who desire to pass on “vitally important knowledge” or “incredible information” to me as well as the rest of the world. These friends and relatives practically insist that we must all forward this one email for “a child sick with cancer who wants a world record for the most emails sent telling his story.” We must forward another email because “Bill Gates wants to give everyone money each time they forward information about a new program’s beta testing.”
Today I was urged to join the ranks of terrified aunties and uncles who will now – at all cost – avoid using restaurant bathrooms because of the venomous ‘South American Blush Spider’ which lurks stealthily beneath the toilet seat, gleefully anticipating his next victim so he can munch on their exposed…selves.
Unfortunately, most of these emails are untrue, outdated and outlandishly exaggerated. Take, for example, the creepy Camel Spider who lives in Iraq and wants to eat our American Soldiers. People, people, people! Puhlease! Did’ja LOOK at the picture?! It’s a close-up of the spider, and the hand which holds it. Notice the spider is as big as the cufflink. Geez. *Note: If I ever saw a spider even HALF the size of my cufflink, I’d run away as fast as I could!*
It is a shame the time and effort wasted by these folks who have sent me (and everyone else in their over-used email address book) their panicked emails. To this day, they await a check from Bill Gates which should by now bear an amount well into the thousands. Some of these email writers are incredibly and immediately convinced of the ‘truth’ in the email they received, most without question. How many of us have received the “You are the last heir to King So-and-So who left you millions of dollars. Just send us your bank account and routing number and we will immediately transfer the funds to you in America”!? Even with all of the news reports, commentaries and exposes, there are still people falling for these rouses.
And now people are falling for texts on their phones, asking to call a number right away because of some alert on their bank account. Jeez! Do you remember signing up for something like this? Do you NOT KNOW that your bank DOES NOT ask you for your password or social security when THEY call YOU!?!?!?!?
Much grief, hurt, anxiety and inconvenience could be avoided by a simple internet search on the subject at hand. There are many websites which list the thousands of internet hoaxes, scams and urban legends that circulate round and round the internet. If you receive an email which promises a fantastic return in exchange for some work, or an email with an outlandish and almost unbelievable story: take a second to research it. In as much time as it would take you to hit “forward” and select everyone in your email address book, you could also check into the email and perhaps save yourself future embarrassment!
It is safe, ladies and gentlemen, to use the toilet at your local favorite feeding hole.
PS – before you send me an email telling me I will have bad luck for 10 years if I don’t forward it on to 10 friends…well let’s just say Friends Don’t Send Friends Stupid Emails.
When in doubt, check out www.snopes.com – this great site dispels many-a-myth!!!
I’m sitting at work right now, trying so hard to get this task completed, but I can’t stop thinking about Haiti. I’m haunted by the images of the dead, the dying, the trapped. My heart aches as I see the looks on the children’s faces: those terrified faces. They’ve seen what no child should have to see. Experienced what no child should experience.
I’m sitting in a nice comfortable chair, waterbottle close at hand, a fresh apple too. I have heat to warm me from the cold outside, a roof to protect me from the elements. The air I’m breathing is fresh and clean. My clothes are clean, my body is bathed. My stomach is full. I slept in a warm bed last night.
But the people in Haiti: there’s dead bodies piling up. There’s no water to drink. AT ALL. No breakfast. No phone to call someone – anyone – for help. The air is full of the smell of death and destruction and dust. Dust from the ground, dust from the collapsing buildings. Their clothes are dirty, torn, bloodied. They haven’t eaten. The prison building was compromised and who knows who escaped.
Children are missing. Trapped. Parents dead. Loved ones dead. Lost. Missing. God, please help them.
I can’t stand it. Just sitting here working on this mindless task that really doesn’t help anyone or do any good for anyone. And with each moment I sit here working, someone is buried in the rubble, hope of rescue fading, fading. Ugh. God, you need to help them.
We all are doing what we can: praying. Sending money. Doing what we can to spread the word to get help to Haiti.
But I can barely stand the ache in my heart for this tiny, poorer-than-poor country. I have the urge to go as if it were
From cnn.com
my own family caught, trapped. I see the video of a child sitting on a pile of rubble, shocked, confused, trying to make sense of what is happening. No adult is with him. Suddenly he looks like my own son, the same age and I think, My God help that little baby.
It’s just too much. I’ll turn off the TV for now, stop checking the news sites. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, but I’ve done all I can do and watching just ads to my own misery. Which is still nothing compared to theirs.
So I’ll do the only thing that I can do now. Pray. Please God. Just… please.
Hopefully the twitterverse will calm down a little with all the brouhaha and words regarding the death (yes, it’s been confirmed by Brevard County Sheriff) of @military_mom ’s son.
Twitter opens new doors for people to get help, but because of it’s telephone-chain-style of information spreading, people further down the road aren’t getting information firsthand. We’re getting RT of an RT of an RT and so on.
With the balloon boy story fresh in our minds, and the reality that some people will indeed take advantage of the internet, it’s not surprising that so many were immediately skeptical of this story.
So, people, skeptics and supporters alike: it’s okay to want to check out a story or a request for prayers or money. It’s not okay to attack someone or call them a liar straight out, but it’s A OK to say, “Hey, I want to help but I don’t know you. Can you give me something to work with?”
It’s good to see the community – real and virtual – come together to help this mom out. I hope that this family recovers from their loss quickly.
Hey a new blog, whaddya know?