Re: Security Guard - God Guided Me And Protected Me

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007, Rumpelstiltskin wrote:

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:34:56 -1000, "Alvin E. Toda" <aet@xxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007, Rumpelstiltskin wrote:

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:47:13 -0600, "Jean Paul" <jobbahut@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


"Islander" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:G_OdndyzV-99TfTanZ2dnUVZ_qGknZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jean Paul wrote:

---[snip]---

I am struggling at this point in my life to find meaning and enthusiasm
for the future. I finally, after years of study and reading, gave up a
belief in traditional religious beliefs.

I am at the present somewhat of a nihilist and fatalist. I am trying to
find things to get me excited about just being alive and living life and
it is difficult, but I have hope that I will find what I am looking for
before long.


It is easy to get discouraged given the disaster that has inflicted our
country over the past seven years.

However, I have lived a life of optimism and have yet to be disappointed
for more than short periods of time.

Today, my wife and I distributed fruit baskets for the Lion's Club and at
one of the houses I gave my best HO HO HO to an elderly lady who was hard
of hearing and she kidded me about my beard and red shirt. Then she told
me that she was so grateful, not just for the fruit basket, but for all
her neighbors who had been so generous over the years. She related that
she had been trying to pay back for what she had received by sewing lap
robes for injured servicemen. Her living room was filled with work in
progress.

Then, this afternoon, we helped staff the Toys for Tots and a man came in
by himself to get toys for his daughter, now in the custody of his
estranged wife. He has been out of work and his life was pretty much a
mess. One of the women helping out took him over to a little cradle with
a doll in it and suggested that it might be just the right thing since his
ex wife is expecting. She even tied a big ribbon on it for him.

Last Thursday, we did the local blood drive and 92 people showed up to
donate blood including about 10 kids from the high school. This may not
sound like much, but we have a pretty small population here. San Juan
Island, who we compete with and which has twice our population only turned
out 68 donations. Lots of Republicans on San Juan Island.

But, the best thing of all was a Christmas card from a young man who we
knew since he was a child. He was a neighbor when we lived in CA and he
would do odd jobs for us to get a little pocket change. As he grew up, he
worked for my wife in her business while in High School, saving his money
for college. We helped him with his college expenses and he worked part
time to cover the remainder. But, he got involved with a fundamentalist
church and we became very concerned about him. It became clear that he
was drifting and not in a particularly good direction. We lost touch for
several years. Imagine our surprise when we got the card with a picture
of him and his gay partner. They were clearly very much in love and he
wrote about how fortunate they were to finally figure things out. We had
no idea that he was gay, but we rejoice for his new found happiness.

Amid all the doom and gloom in our country today, it is reassuring to me
that there is an reservoir of humanity that still exists. We didn't even
have to search very hard to find it.

Oh yes, don't forget about this Friday. Happy Winter Solstice! When the
days start getting longer, can spring be far away?

Yes, of course I should not have left out the fact
that we also involve ourselves in giving and helping
others. Instead of doing only at Winter Solstice
though, I decided a few years ago that it needed to
be done throughout the year because some people
really can't wait for the holidays for that help.

So we gave to the Red Cross for the disasters of the
Tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (which affected
us personally) and also we gave generously to a
smaller cause. A group from Montgomery Texas was
fitting military helmets with a special energy
absorbing padding that is saving lives in Bush's
wars and which the Pentagon and specifically the
Army would not purchase for our military personell
serving overseas. A Texas medical doctor started
the effort and we felt very good about doing what we
could to help.

Today, a young lady that we have known for some time
needed some urgent medical care and her husband has
been out of work. We took care of the bill for her
so she could get treatment.

It always does make us forget about our own little
problems when we can help other people with their
bigger problems.

JP




I'm such a selfish *** compared to Islander and you. I gave money to Katrina and the tsunami, but nothing else. I'm like a friend who gave money to some gay cause, and later got a phone call asking if he'd like to come down to the center and help out, and he replied "No, that's why I sent you money instead."

Oh well, back to my comfy chair.

Perhaps if you volunteered, then you might meet your future husband?


Future husband? Disregarding that the term doesn't appeal to me, I was in a live-in relationship just once, for about six months, and I was going nuts toward the end of it. It just isn't for me.

It takes practice. But there's always something unexpected when you live with another person. Most times it's nothing to adjust to unless it's something that so infringes on your basic needs that it just wouldn't work out. For example, if you're a slob, then it helps if the other person is like that, or worse. Cleaning up though isn't too hard. Just ask the other person to remind you and ask them to be a little understanding as you try to adjust. Toilet seat issues-- up or down?-- for example, just takes a little thought and understanding to form new habits. No need to go nuts.
.

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