C2, I know you don't want to be snarky with her, but I'd be hard pressed not to reply to her....
X, I'm no longer attending church because you made me realize that I actually was taking time away from the kids. Instead, I'm pimping Bethie out on Mon & Wed. On Tues & Thurs, I'm at the casino. I've made myself available to the kids for the entire weekends but I'm hoping they can be quiet due to the pounding headaches I have from drinking with the men from the homeless shelter. Thank you for pointing out to me how much my time at church had been hurting the kids.
There are a lot of WAs out there who act like they were the one abandoned and they want to "punish" the LBS for it. Maybe in their minds they were abandoned. I'm glad you stuck to the high road, and that you let us know about it.
This was an interesting comment Joe. I can see this and you're also right that there is a pattern here!
C2, I know you don't want to be snarky with her, but I'd be hard pressed not to reply to her....
X, I'm no longer attending church because you made me realize that I actually was taking time away from the kids. Instead, I'm pimping Bethie out on Mon & Wed. On Tues & Thurs, I'm at the casino. I've made myself available to the kids for the entire weekends but I'm hoping they can be quiet due to the pounding headaches I have from drinking with the men from the homeless shelter. Thank you for pointing out to me how much my time at church had been hurting the kids.
Geeze, your X is a PITA!!!!
Too funny Jill! I was thinking like that. Gosh there are such worse things there C2s ex !!
Be Happy for this Moment, This Moment is your Life
Popped in for a second. Shuttled my 8th grade president son (and his VP) to a leadership conference at 7:30 a.m. (45 minutes one way), took a brother from church to the Dept. Motor Vehicles so he could use my car for a driver's lic test. Had lunch with him and did a bible study, went to get my son and his VP from the conference, went and got my D from school took them home, no food for her to eat, came here (brief post) to get food, running to the bank to get her money so I can taxi her to meet her friends at the movies, will then hang with son afterwards until it is time to get D and her friends after the movies to take them to X's. By then, X and Mr., who took the day off work, will be back from Santa Barbara for the day (legitimate visit to her bro in law who's mother passed last week).
I am such a louse of a father!
Thanks for all your support, again, sometimes we wonder if it is us?
Gotta go feed my kids and get some $$$.
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
You are such a piece of crap!!! Why couldn't you go into the conference and the movies and hold their hands?? What's wrong with you?? You had lunch with a Brother when you could have taken them kicking and screaming from school and made them have lunch with you? You are squandering all of this time by letting them be with their friends, and whats the deal with school. You probably made they go so you could have some free time. Where's you go Church? You're so selfish it sickens me. ..and you call yourself a Father? ......right
Next weekend, son and I will be going down to Mexico with the church to a poor area to provide for some of their needs and to share the hope of God's love. After such trips, I always come home appreciating this country, counting my blessings and loving life just a little more.
You know committed, when I was in the Navy, I took a trip with a couple of other Sailors deep into the interior of Mexico. This was a far cry from the resort areas we are familiar with. We were on 2 weeks of leave and had planned this trip for months. We were seeking adventure mostly. I was in my early 20's.
I remember driving into this village.. dirt road, goats and pigs running around, trash scattered about. The temperature was stifling. We stopped for fuel and stepped out to stretch. A little girl maybe 8 or 9 years old wearing a soiled and tattered dress came up to me with a look of curiosity. She gave me this big smile and motioned me around the side of the gas station where what I assumed was her mother inside a "hut" (for lack of a better description) rolling out pita bread g on a metal tray. This tray was hanging over a fire in the middle of the structure supported by three metal wires. There was a hole at the top of the hut where the smoke was rolling out. Her Mother looked out at me, smiled and waved. The little girl continued to smile at me for a while longer, then ran off chasing after some kids that were playing behind the hut.
It's something so simple and uneventful, but it's something I never forgot. What I saw was utter poverty and what I would consider hopelessness. In the face of that, I saw a very Happy little girl and her Mother. It seemed to me that they had no clue they were so poor. It was definitely my first bout of culture shock. There was more to come after that, but for the purpose of my message here, I'll keep it short.
Whenever I think my world is crumbling or my problems are insurmountable, I think of that little girl and how happy she was. For whatever reason that image is burned into my memory.
Our problems are what we make of them. You seem to have learned to accept what you have here and now. Just like that smiling little girl.
"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." -Mark Twain
Your wit never ceases to amaze me Your writings could have come from the very lips of my dear old X. Thanks for the laugh/shock therapy to help me to see how rediculous her criticisms are.
They got back from Santa Barbara, S and I had finished eating and were relaxing. I cordially said my hellos (to both he and Mr. X) and left.
Prayer meeting At times like this in the past, depression would hit but tonight I headed to church for a prayer meeting for missions. Talk about taking your eyes off your own problems! Prayer was concluded with worship music. Prayer may seem useless to some but it supernaturally strengthens workers doing the labor (workers serving the firefighters, relief workers etc.). It also stirs those praying to put action to their prayers as the people at the meeting have all gone out on missions trips or relief work to the Katrina area, the recent Peru earthquake or upcoming trips to the So Cal fire areas. Included in my prayers were some here on the board and their specific needs as well as for the children. It was a wonderful night.
Quote:
Whenever I think my world is crumbling or my problems are insurmountable, I think of that little girl and how happy she was. For whatever reason that image is burned into my memory.
ATGB, Your trip in to Mexico while in the Navy resonated deeply with me. I had a similar and equally touching story from a trip last year. It stirred me such that I took a longer trip 800 miles into Baja Mexico about this time last year. It also caused me to to Romania this past August and stirs me to go to provide relief to Fire Victims when the church announces the plan. When we think we
Outreach trip cancelled Earlier today the church called the outreach team members individually to tell us the trip was being postponed because of logistics and complications from the fires. We will go another day. Son was disappointed but we will spend father son time tomorrow and I will have both the kids overnight Sat and onto church Sunday.
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
It was a bit of a disappointment but it left the door open for a very good weekend with my son.
This week is pretty hectic with my free time being devoted to a huge outreach for the community on 10/31. Lots of work to do, all with people from the church. A safe evening for all with rides, jumpers games, prizes, a christian concert and a message about God's love.
Hope to post a bit here and there.
By the way, Mr. X sent me another email to really test my resolve to stay in forgiveness mode; I am staying there but it is work!
Committed2Him- "C2H" All Things (Back from Spain!)...18
I'm glad you stuck to the high road, and that you let us know about it.
