Pennsylvania police find head on rural road, seeking body to match

Her mother always said she'd lose her head if it was tied on.  I guess the knot came lose.

It's time to stop

I know police are not popular today and seemed to be actually hated by many people.  I realize that there are some policemen out there that tarnish the badge and act as if they are above the law. 
Often times we break the law and when we get caught we get mad at the police officer who caught us.  Most often our dealings with the police are not beneficial to us as seldom do they have reason to deal with honest people.  And yes, they make mistakes and sometimes people die because of those mistakes.  Some times it's the bad guy that is killed but some times it's an innocent person who suffers. 
  There is no amount of reasoning that can make a bad cop behave correctly just as there is no reasoning with bad people to obey the law and act nice.  But because one officer acted in a way we think was wrong has seemed to motivate people to boldly attack and kill police officers with no justification.  if those that hate officers would really stop and think what life would be like without them then they wouldn't like the new reality.  I firmly believe that if ever person was law abiding and there were no speeders or thieves or burglars, or murderers, or arsonists, or crooks, or insider traders nor any other kind of mischief maker we would still need a police force. 
   Why I believe this is simple.  There will always be situations occur when we need someone of authority to take control of it.  Sometimes there will be large gatherings of people and there is a need of someone to take control to come to the aid of a person suddenly stricken  with an illness.  A traffic light quit working and no one knows who should proceed.  A sporting event is over and everyone is leaving in their vehicles at the same time.  A sudden storm comes up and people don't know where to go for aid, cover, or shelter. 
  If we all did what we were supposed to do then there would be no police to misbehave.  I think it is time we stop hating all police because when all is said and done they are more necessary than we really care to admit. 

Elderly Abuse

Mom has been back at home for 12 days now.  For those that haven't read my previous posts the story to date is this:  Mom is 89, legally blind, and almost deaf and she has bladder control issues.  It became obvious back in October that she wasn't capable of taking care of herself so I notified by two brothers.  My older brother has financial power of attorney and my younger brother has financial and medical.  I just take care of her as best as I can  from 110 miles away.  I call almost everyday and go take care of her at least once a month.  I buy her groceries, do her yard work, and do maintenance on her home and run errands for her.  My older brother has her two or three times a year and my younger brother calls her weekly but only chats for a few minutes.  I talk to her as long as she needs me too. 
   Its been sixteen years since dad died and about four years since the state took Mom's driving privileges  away.  Her only living brother passed away a few months ago.  Mom and Junior were close and his death was very hard on Mom. 
  Anyway my younger brother, the spoiled rich kid, swooped in to save the day.  He wanted the three sons to split the cost of an assistant living facility but my share would have been from $100.00 to $300.00 more per month than I make and my older brother didn't want to help at all.  Without any discussion my younger brother made the decision to move Mom to Ga. to live with him so he came, packed a few items for her and took her away. 
    His daily routine was to say hello in the morning and kiss her good night each evening and on occasion invite her to sup with the family but the majority of her time was spent in her room by herself.  My brother and his wife each had their cellphones and shared the landline with Mom.  The wife became Mom's caregiver which my brother took over all the others parts of her life.  His wife controlled what and when she ate.  The one thing she could not control was the number of friends Mom had and the fact they called her almost everyday. 
  As each day went by each phone call seemed to make my brother's wife madder and madder until one day she could take it no more.  She called her husband on the phone and told him to take the old lady back to Hickory   so he left work immediately, packed her up and took her home.  I received an e-mail stating that other arrangements had to be made for her care but no information on when she would arrive or what was to be done for her when he got her home.    He did cut the water back on for her and left her with a box of cereal and some milk.  He has yet to inquire about her well being and my older brother has shown no interest in her welfare either. 
   I did receive an e-mail yesterday asking if I knew her new phone number.  There was no inquiry as to how she was doing, no sympathy for her plight, nor concern about her whatsoever.  I did respond to the email informing them that I do not give out phone numbers belonging to other people.    I don't care if she is his mother, it should be her choice to talk with them or not.  She can call him if she wishes and give him her number.  She is deeply hurt by all that happened so how she handles things should be entirely up to her.
   My older brother is now a widower, makes $35.00 an hour and works 60 hours per week and lives in a two thousand square foot house.  He also draws social security.   My younger brother makes more money than I ever dared dream of making and could have made better decisions regarding her care.  I live on social security and have a disabled wife and a house that is probably smaller than my younger brothers living room but I would take her in if necessary.  It would be extremely hard on my wife with all her physical disabilities as well as the lingering effects of her brain aneurysm. 
  I am not as upset with my sister-in-law even though she is the one who kicked Mom out of her house.  My brother should never have stuck Moms care on her.  Mom didn't need to be held prisoner in a rich mans bedroom either.  What I had wanted to do was buy a place or rent a small apartment for Mom close enough to where I live so she could maintain her lifestyle yet close enough so I could give her daily care.  When I first proposed this to her my two brothers complained that I was just trying to manipulate Mom so I could get her to live me all her assets.   Even if that were true, which it wasn't, their involvement in Moms life would remain the same.  One could call her every three or four months and the other could continue making his five minute weekly call.  Both brother claim they have no interest in anything she owns anyway. 
   The only thing I care about is that my Mom is taken care of.  I have been there for her for sixteen years now and her will still divides things equally so I just don't believe if she lived closer to me it would make any difference in whom gets what.  If Mom ever changes her will it would be because of what they did or didn't do and would have nothing to do with me.  Frankly I hope she leaves the will as it is so maybe after Mom is gone then my two brothers can live their life happy Mom is gone and they don't have to ever see me again. 
   I know you are probably wondering why my brothers don't like me.  it's quite simple.  My older brothers first wife had five children while married to him and he was the father of the first one only.  he propositioned me one night and I turned her down so she got mad and told him I was the one who got her pregnant.  Any reasonable man could figure out that I wasn't even in this country when she conceived and it didn't matter anyway as I have medical proof that I am unable to father children. 
   My younger brother is a jerk and has always been a jerk.  When I was in the ninth grade members of the 7-8 grade basketball team came to me and said that my brother was a jerk and they wanted to kick his butt but out of respect for me they didn't.  I told them not to let that stop them.  Yea, I told my little brother but not for his safety but to protect my friends from getting into trouble because my brother was a jerk. 
   While he was a college professor I met one of his students and she admitted she disliked him  
intensely.  His first act as the new head of accounting at a big international company was to fire ever accountant that was under him because "they didn't know hat they were doing."  Really?   Everyone in the marching band was out of step but him.  Amazing.   
   He was an officer stationed in South Carolina and lived with his wife and was able to continue school and obtain his masters degree .while I pulled two tours of duty in Vietnam and 36 straight months of overseas duty with out a single day of leave yet he claimed I had the easier duty because enlisted me got to decide if they wanted to follow his orders or not.  He once told my father that the church he was pastor of was not good enough for him to attend.  Once he sat on Moms couch with his feet extended straight in front of him so that when Mom was unloading the car she had to step over his feet to get by.  he neither offered to help her nor to move his feet out of her way. 
   Once, as a Christmas present he gave me nothing while giving my wife and I a small display case about 5 inches high that had been reduced from $12.50 down to a buck seventy five.  The jerkiest thing he ever did was at Thanksgiving.  I had an idea that my parents myself and my two brothers would take turns hosting Thanksgiving.  I had it the first year and he the second.  Instead of just family he invited co-workers  and friends and he sat with them in the main dining room.  He sat my parents and my older brother in another room at a picnic table, and the children sat at a third table in what I suppose of the living room or family room.  My wife and I were seated my ourselves in a hallway.  Maybe he was offended because my wife was Oriental but that is no excuse to relegating my parents to a second rate table away from his friends and co-workers. 
    he always tried to blame me for us not being close.  When Mom's sister was alive my brother would drive her from Hickory to Burlington to see her.  On their way back home in would stop in Greensboro around two pm and call my house to see if they could stop by for a visit.  Seriously?  Almost everyone with a job is at work at 2 in the afternoon.  Even if one worked second shift one could hardly accept company that was as yet 45  minutes away from your home.  But he would always claim "I really wanted to see him."  Well gosh, if you really wanted to see me why didn't you call the day before and see when it would be convenient or better yet a week or so in advance so maybe I could take a day off from work? 
    That's what he did when he would come to Hickory on his biyearly visit when he wanted to get together with my other brother to play golf.  Me?  He had Mom call me at 7am and asked me if I wanted to join my brothers for breakfast.  Off course I live two hours away and they had already left home for the restaurant which they had forgotten to tell mom which one they were going to.  But he could always claim he really wanted to see me. 
  Yeah, he's a jerk.  Maybe I should have let the basketball team beat him up.  I couldn't then and I couldn't do that now.  But it is sweet to think aout.

Surprise Party was a real surprise

    I really didn't think I could pull it off.  After all having a surprise birthday party at the church for the pastor is no small feat because the more people that know the less chance one has to succeed.  I was fearful that someone would give it away at the last minute and that almost happened.  One of the little girls walked into the sanctuary carrying her present for the pastor but fortunately she was redirected to the fellowship hall without the preacher being the wiser. 
    I think the party came at the right moment because the preacher seemed a little down tonight and it was just the thing to cheer him up.  He was turning 60 and maybe that number was a little depressing.  As soon as the service was over I went to our out building and retrieved the wheel chair I had decorated with balloons while everyone else was whisked away into the fellowship hall.  I stepped back into the church and told the preacher I needed to see him outside.  He got a big kick out of the wheelchair and put on a little show for us.  I then asked hi to step into the fellowship hall which had been magically transformed.  There were two birthday cakes, one saying Happy and the other saying birthday.  I explained it took tow cakes because old peoples vision fades and we had to write real big so he could see. 
   We then gave him his presents, all gag gifts.  he received everdent, fixident, a denture brush, back ache pills, and other gifts related to growing old.  He received two pair of shorts, one red with white trim and the other green with bells on them.  Someone gave him a pocket watch which I explained by saying 'That's another timepiece the preacher can ignore ".  We then sang Happy birthday "really loud" to compensate for the reduced hearing people experience as they age.  I let the preacher cut his piece of cake then I sliced and served the rest of it. 
   It was a grand evening and the preacher was really surprised and it did cheer him up so. 
  I then cleaned up and helped take all the presents to the preacher vehicle, including the balloons and put away the wheelchair before locking up the church for the evening. 
   It was a special evening, not just the surprise birthday party but the service itself.  I have never been to a church where the members loved each other the way One Way Baptist does.  I believe we exhibit the kind of love for each other that would be pleasing to God. 

And the world shall wax worse and worse

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Taliban gunmen stormed a military-run school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least 84 people, officials said, in the worst attack to hit the country in over a year.

The overwhelming majority of the victims were students at the army public school, which has children and teenagers in grades 1-10.

Dump the old lady off

Wow!  It's hard to believe the nerve of some people but the world is full of jerks.
    My Mom is 89 years old, deft, and legally blind to the point of only being able to see fuzzy shapes.  In October he fell asleep while trying to fry a hamburger patty and set the fire alarm off.  She has little control of her bowels and suffers from various aliments.  A week after she set the alarm off she fell and sat in the floor for several hours until she could reach a phone.  She managed to get to the door but couldn't open it so the rescue squad had to break into her home. 
   My younger brother wanted to move her to Savannah, Ga. to stay with him so he packed her up and took her away on my birthday.  Well, that should have been a happy ending for all concerned but it wasn't.
  It seems by little brother decided to leave the care of his mother to his wife and daughter.  Mom is a difficult person to get along with.  She is as sweet as she can be but she likes to talk, like no stop, and she is fiercely independent and she is very particular about what she likes and what she doesn't and s.  she will tell her friends about things.  If one is sensitive, and most people are, then one is better off not getting involved with Mom.  She is as good as gold but she will grate on a person's nerves, telling the same stories over and over talking about peoples faults and shortcomings.  Her biggest fault is she doesn't like to admit she has made a mistake. 
  Even so, I think the situation she has found herself in is deplorable.  Her daughter-in-law found it hard to deal with Moms talking and her dirty diaper pail and her complaining about missing home and leaving her friends.  The last straw for her came when she overheard Mom complain to one of her friends (over the phone) that she had been left alone with no food in the house.  She was justified in her decision to become upset at Mom's behavior.  Old people can be hard to deal with and the job should not have been hers to begin with.
   Little brother, on the other hand, had delegated his responsibility to her and his reaction to his wife becoming upset was to pack his mother and her belongings and drop her back in Hickory.  There is no food in the house and no telephone.  No one knows she is there but  me and my older brother and he doesn't care.    The worse part of the deal is he gave no thought to working out a solution to the problem nor discussing a timeline with me.  She drive her home and dump her off. 
   To me, he's always been a jerk and I believe he still is. 
  

Church and Beer

      I  suppose most Americans drink beer.  I don't really know because I never asked them but if not beer, then some form of alcohol is consumed by most people.  I never saw the need to drink,  I have to admit in my younger days I tried in a few times because I thought it was the cool thing to do but for the most part in either made me sick or made me do really dumb things.  For me if I have to drink to have a good time I'd rather be a party pooper.  I see no need to alter reality.  It doesn't taste all that good,   it doesn't cause me to relax or unwind, I don't think it's cool and it can be dangerous.  Thanks but no thanks but I'd rather deal with this cruel and unpredictable world with all my faculties in their best working order. 
    There are some churches that not only tolerate the drinking of alcohol but actively participate by keeping a stockpile on hand for special events.  On the news this morning some church through a singing and beer party so they can take the church to the people.  I found it upsetting that a church would do this.  They may be a social organization but they are no church.  I doubt Jesus would find
a beer guzzling religious crowd suitable to consider as his bride.  Seriously, I doubt if most people would want to marry a drunk so I'm sure the Christ has higher standards than most people. 
   

he tugged on my heartstrings and landed in jail (or who robbed the church)

 Sunday, November 30, 2014 Randleman, NC

   Stephen L.  was late getting to church but he made it in time for the preacher to deliver his sermon; and what a sermon it was!  Stephen was so impressed he stayed around after the service to chat with the preacher.   He captured the pastors attention with his tales of his singing in church and his faithful attendance until his father died and sadly, Stephen blamed God.    He was so angry at God for taking his dad he found himself in trouble but after hearing the preachers sermon he decided it is time to quit being angry and start living right. 
    He went on to tell of his pitiful situation and of how he needed to find some help for his baby son.  He wasn't looking for a handout, he said, just to be connected to someone that could help him take care of his baby. 
   Well, that did the trick as far as the giant of a preacher with an equally big heart.  ignoring church guidelines he gave the young man some money from the church coffers plus an equal amount from his own pocket.  'I'll definitely be back tonight" the young man said as he gladly accepted the cash.
    Tuesday morning it was discovered someone had broken into the church.  Nothing was taken but the rear door will have to be replaced which is a big expense for a struggling small congregation to have to pay, especially this time of year with all the extra expenses for the holidays.    It was painfully obvious that the burglar was after the jug of cash he saw in front of the remembrance table that he mistakenly assumed was left during non service hours. 
   The young visitor on Sunday morning didn't come back Sunday night as he promised he would but it was equally obvious he did return on Monday night in search on the money jug.  a burglar with transportation would have taken the stereo equipment and  any thing else of value but this one took nothing.  Our visitor arrived to church and left on foot. 
   He recognized one of our members and thought greeting them would enhance his credibility but in the end it proved to be his undoing.  He provided false information on his visitor card but the member was able to discover his real address and phone number.  The police was able to gather enough information to place the man under arrest. 
    It seems the backwoods country church was neither as easy a target or as dumb as he anticipated we would be and neither as forgiving.  (let me clarify that by saying we hold no ill will towards Stephen but he did the crime so must do the time.) 

Helping is expensive

  Mom needed my help so I obtained a thousand dollars from my retirement account, enough I thought so I wouldn't have to worry about things.  During the two weeks before she left I made four round trips to see her.   In addition to the gas and food I purchased her medicine and spent $54.00 on packing boxes plus picked up a few extra  inexpensive items for her.  After she left I drove to Hickory 5 times in the following two weeks, the last time to retrieve and mail some things she wanted from her home. 
    I had to repair some damage caused my the rescue workers when they broke into her house, fix a hole in her roof, replace her smoke detectors which had to be replaced after she almost set her house ablaze when she fell asleep while frying some burger, and I had some garments dry cleaned for her which I had shipped. 
  I did go to the Pioneer ($35)once and to a Mexican place ($23)   once and I had a mirror replaced I broke ($32) as well as maintenance on  my mower($153) done  but other than those expenses, all my credit card bills were related to me helping Mom.  My bill was for $1016.00.  Of course Mom reimbursed me for $132.00 but I spent $274.00 in cash, much of it for food but some for small items like light bulbs or batteries  or stuff to fix the small hole in the roof.  All told, it cost me close to $800. to help Mom and close up her home. 
   All of the canned goods and the food from the stand alone freezer went to aid a need family, probably about $600 to $800 worth of food, plus I split the remainder of items between two other families (about a $100.00 bucks apiece)
   My younger brother of course has helped too as he drove from Georgia twice to see her, the second time to take her home with him.  He made his annual pilgrimage to Colorado so he hired a private nurse to care for Mom  for the three days he will be gone.
  The joy I receive from having my Mom and the peace I have knowing she is well cared for now more than offset any expenses.  For her, nothing can replace being in her own home but she is well satisfied that she has a place to go where she is cared for with love rather than just as part of a persons job. 
  
 

Standing invitation

It's a rare occasion for me to get to preach at One Way Baptist Church in Randleman but I do get the honor tomorrow night at 7 pm so you are invited.  Of course you are welcome anytime but I would especially love for you to be there tomorrow night. 
  The local paper has invited me to be a quest columnist for the third straight time and I am pleased about that too.  I welcome any opportunity to talk about my God and my savior Jesus Christ. 
 

First Novemeber Post

November has been an eventful month.  In late October I discovered my Mom, 89 and legally blind and almost deaf, had almost burned her house down when she was cooking some hamburger and fell asleep.  I have known for a long time she shouldn't be by herself but she is stubborn and insisted in taking care of herself.  As long as she was sound of mind I let her be.  But when I visited her that day I knew the time had come to seek a different living arrangement for her.   
   I contacted my two brothers and my younger one, who has power of attorney, came from Savanna to assess the situation for himself.  We looked into private care and that was way too expensive and an assistant living facility was out of the question.  Mom just needed someone to monitor her medicine and make sure her clothes were clean and she was feed but the assistant living facility wanted $3500 a month just for a room with another resident plus  additional expenses totaling over $500.00 a month.  One can definitely get better care and facilities  on a year long cruise at less than half the cost. 
   With an quickly aging population there needs to be a better alternative:  maybe a nice ground floor apartment complex with a couple of resident nurses and some nurses aids to look to the peoples needs.  Something like a Holiday Inn with medical care.  I don't think it should cost over $500.00 a month.  Poor people living on Social Security can't afford what these nursing homes want to charge and many deserve  a better end of life living situation. 
   Fortunately for Mom my youngest brother was willing to take her in  and provide the care she needs.  Not every parent is so lucky.
   The last two weeks she was in her own house I drove down to see her most every day to take care of her.  The only day I didn't go was Sundays  and I left early on Wednesdays to make it home for church. 
  After she moved I went back everyday to clean her house and to clean the refrigerator and the freezer.  Several struggling families were blessed to receive food and a few other things to help them meet their families needs.  I saw that some items that belonged to others were given back to them, cleaned and secured her home.  I'll have to go back from time to time to do yard work and other things that might need to be attended to.   The only things I packed up were her collection of dinner bells.  When Mom passes and all the relatives hit the house her bells will be a prime target for those wishing to grab a little something for themselves and it took a lot of tender loving care to wrap and pack her huge collection. 
   Most of her bells were common bells but there are quite a few that fall into the $40.00 and up range making her collection worth several thousand dollars.  Most of her other stuff can be disposed of by an estate sale but if and when Mom can come back home (this is where she wants to be during her last days) I want things as much like things were when she lived here. 
   The saddest part of the whole affair is I have been her caregiver for the last sixteen years and she left on my birthday.  Having her go was harder than I thought it would be, 

It's not to late to change your mind

There is a hotly contested senate race with Kay Hagan and Tom Tillis trying to win.  voting for one of them is like deciding to shoot yourself in the head or in the mouth:  the results are still suicide.  If each candidate is as evil as the other one says, then we need neither.  I'm not voting for Tom Tillis because Kay Hagan supports the President anymore than I would vote of Kay Hagan because Tom Tillis sides with big business over the individual.  To me that indicates but are wrong. 
   I wish we had a third option, and not just a candidate from a third party, but a choice to vote against a candidate.  Say, if there are 100 people voting and 7 vote for the third party then one of the two main candidates will win, even if half the voters don't vote because they like neither candidate.      
 But what if those fifty who voted didn't like either candidate either but just felt compelled to pick the lesser of two evils.  Well, that's like only putting 4 bullets in a six shooter and only pulling the trigger 3 times:  you are still dead. 
    It would make sense to put an against option on the ballet.  That way you can vote for one, or vote for the other or vote against both.  That option gives power to people who are feed up with no real voice in the community.  Up till now the only choice you have is to vote for one or the other or not vote and let someone choose for you.  With the against option then if neither candidate is acceptable
the there is a chance enough against votes will force the parties to pick more acceptable candidates. 
   But for now we are stuck with the old system.  Vote but for for the third party: no one is saying anything bad a out them. 

Does sentimental value remain after death?

 A lady grew up during the depression and over the course of her lifetime she had purchased items that meant something to her and some other things were given to her.  She has lived in the same home for almost sixty years.  It's a small two bed room ranch home.  She had a collection of dinner bells, probable three or four hundred of them. 
  I said had as if she were dead already but she isn't.  One of her sons is having her move in with him with the intention of bringing her home so she can die in her own home.  The home is neat but every square inch of storage space is utilized to the max.  There is the attic, the partial basement and the storage space under the deck.  The carport was converted into a living space. 
   She said that she wants items personal to her to remain so she can be surrounded by the objects she loves at her death.  I don't know if it is possible for things to happen the way she wants  but that is the plans.  We always don't get to pick where we will be when we die.
    The house is stuffed full of stuff, there is damage to some of the walls and ceilings and it has lots and lots of furniture.  Somehow one of the brothers, the successful rich one, thinks he can clean the house and get it ready to sell in three or four days.  I know what his intentions are.  He'll hire a professional cleaning crew who will bring out a dumpster and he'll instruct them to throw everything thanks in the house into it, then have them wash and mop and think he's done a good job. 
   Mom loves her stuff  plus there is a lot of value, intrinsic and sentimental, to many of the objects she has.  If the items meant a lot to her should her children value that item as well and see that it is sold or given a good home or should it just be junked like worthless trash?

I Apologize

I owe my pastor and my Sunday School class an apology which I will deliver in person at the beginning of my next class.  A month or so ago I asked the question "Which tribes belonged to the Southern Kingdom of Israel"? The pastor gave the correct answer but I stated the correct answer as Rueben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh which is incorrect.  Those tribes and half tribe are the peoples of Israel that did not cross over the river Jordon when Israel entered the Promised Land.  The correct answer, as stated by the pastor, was indeed Judah and Benjamin.

Security sorta works

Friday night I left my rock bar, a plastic cart, and my potato hoe in my trailer so I could have an early start Saturday morning when I planned on taking advantage of the cities annual mulch sale.  I needed some at the church around the trees I planted and I needed a little more at home.  With the 4-prong potato hoe it is much easier to unload the mulch than with a steel rack.  Saturday morning it was missing.
   I am meticulous about putting my tools away but I thought just once for my convenience I would leave the potato hoe out so the beeping of the shed alarm wouldn't bother my sleeping wife.  The first and only time I've left a tool out and it turns up missing.  Go figure. 
   I didn't lose much as far as monetary value as the head of the potato digger once belonged to my neighbor.  Someone set his shed on fire .and the wooden handle of the digger burned off so he just tossed what was left away.  I just happened to have a broken handle from an old tool so I put the potato digger head on my old handle and duct taped it on.  It made a useful tool which I have used for several years now.  One thing for sure, it wasn't worth the price of the penalty one would have to pay if they were caught stealing it. 
   I'm sure they didn't take the plastic cart because it would have been too big and cumbersome for a quick grab and run theft.  The thing of value was the rock bar but it was black and was in a black trailer at night and mostly covered by the tarp.    I'm sure if given a choice most people would much rather have had the rock bar, especially if they were taking something to sell.  The potato digger is virtually worthless. 
   I'm not sure what would have been taken if I didn't have a security system.  My shed is wired with an alarm system as is my house.  I also have motion sensory lights on the front porch and back porch as well as on the driveway side of the shed.  I would like to think the motion sensor lights would have come on and frightened the thief away (but only after the thief took my potato digger). 

what is fair isn't always fair.

what is fair isn't always fair. Strange headline I know but it is true.  Here is the situation.  Mom is almost blind and deft and has become feeble in the past few weeks that it has become obvious she can no longer take care of herself.  Mom has three sons, one lives in Georgia, one in South Carolina and one in Randleman.  Mom lives in Hickory. 
   My younger brother is a businessman and has made a lot of money .  Even though he is retired, he is still working full time.  My older brother is a plant manager for a large manufacturing plant and makes a descent salary.  He also draws social security.  My one sister-in-law, my younger brothers wife is also an accountant and she still works. 
   I'm retired and do not work and my wife is disabled.  We have always been just plain ole working stiffs, church going people who support their church to the tune of at least 15% of their income and sometimes to to 20%.  Honestly if we didn't give we would have never made it.  Seriously.
   Anyway, Mom will have to either have an in home care giver or go into a rest home.  If she takes the second offer then my younger brother has purposed three solutions, the first two are out of the realm of possibilities.  The third is doable and fair.  We float a loan, split the downpayent three ways and well as the monthly payment  it seems fair anyway.  Except for one thing.  I'm the only one who doesn't work and the only one who lives close enough to take care of the house.  Afterall, the assests have to be liquidated or disposed of, the house cleaned and the repair work completed. 
  Yea, it would be nice to split the cost three ways then have just one brother do all the physical labor but that isn't fair, is it/ 

Any teachers out there?

Have my Sunday School class does their lessons but the other half makes no effort at all.  If I ask a question I gey no response from anyone even though they have the answer.  it seems I can never illcit much of a response much less a discussion.  So, how do I get more class participation?

12 year old commits suicide over cyber bullying

In todays news a twelve year old girl killed herself because of being bullied.  Not physically bullied.  No, that had stopped when she changed schools.  No, she was being bullied on the internet, in particular on Facebook.  I have a Facebook account.  I have friends on Facebook.  In order to be my friend I have to accept your invite.  You can't be my friend unless I want you to be.  Even then if you post something I don't like I can delete that post and if you persist I can unfriend you.  I don't have to belong to Facebook either.  In fact, I don't have to participate in social media at all. 
   You cannot bully me unless I allow you to bully me.  This young girl killed herself over something someone said that they didn't have to read.  How very sad. 

Sometimes its better not to do any favors

My wife and I stopped at Wendy's today.  I wanted to try their new BBQ sandwich.  I ordered a BBQ sandwich and a soda and my wife wanted the BBQ fries and a lemonade.  "I can save you money if you get the combo. " 
   "But I don't want fries' I replied. 
 Well the clerk rang me up a small combo anyway. 
  The BBQ sandwich was $4.49, the BBQ fries was $2.89, the soda was a $1.49 and the lemonade was &1.79 for a total of $10.66 (not including tax)
   The clerk rang up a small combo at $6.69, a BBQ fry at 2.89, a lemonade at 1.79 and a soda at 1.49  which totaled 12.86.  I explained to the clerk that she charged me for a soda that was supposed to be include and didn't give me a fry which goes with a combo.  I didn't want the fries to begin with so I made her cancel the entire order and ring it the way it should have been totaled to begin with.  While she was re-ringing the order other workers were busy filling my tray with sandwiches I didn't order. 
   The whole incident left a bad taste in my mouth (pardon the pun) embarrassed the clerk, I'm sure and put a damper on an otherwise perfect day.  I don't know why I have such a hard time when I go into a restaurant,  especially a fast food joint.  I speak slowly and clearly but it seems there is always a problem.  I went to Bo jangles once and every time I named an item I want the clerk would yell it into his mike.  What he rang up, what I ordered and what I was given didn't even come close to being the same. 
  Once at Arby's I ordered an apple turnover and was given a cherry one with chocolate glaze.  My wife and I were going to split it so I cut it in two pieces.  My wife took a piece to show the clerk we had received the wrong turnover.  In stead of fixing the problem the clerk said 'Well, I see you've  already eaten half of it."  I took the other half up and asked for an apple turnover, not saying anything about her smart remark.  This time I received a chocolate turnover.  This time I took the whole thing back and asked for a refund.  The clerk at first refused and tried to make me wait until she found an apple turnover. 
   I went to Hardees and ordered two cod fillet sandwiches and a chicken  burrito.      I was given two chicken sandwiches and a fish taco. 
 If it happened just once and in a while, which I fully expect it does to every one, it would be understandable.  I think the problem is most clerks really don't know how to think and customers don't know how to order.  A clerk normally has to ask a customer a lot of questions in order to record an order. 
    I'll go into, say Burger King, and say "This order is dine-in.  I want  the number 2 combo, small, with cheese, light mayo, lettuce and tomato and a number two combo, small, no cheese, with onion rings instead of fries."  More often than not, the clerk will ask ;Is this dine-in or carry-out?" 
So now I have to repeat the entire order and when I'm finished the second time the clerk asks "Did you want cheese on both combos?" 
  I thought maybe I was giving the clerk too much information at once so I decided to be like every one else and make the clerk ask.  My order was still screwed up. 
  In all honesty I appreciate the girl at Wendy's  efforts to save me some money and if I had received the fries and not been double charged on the soda I would have not said anything about the fries I really didn't want.  When I placed my order and it seemed obvious she wasn't going to ring it like I asked her too It was just far easier to let her do it her way.  For the most part most places quickly correct mistakes and I realize most fast food clerks are young and inexperienced so I'm patient with them.  But tonight was different.  The clerk wanted to argue with me that she was saving me money by charging me for something I didn't want, couldn't understand when I explained I hadn't received what I had been charged for, gave me a refund and then tried to charge me again for what she just gave me a refund on.  Sometimes it is just best to not do some one a favor.      

Sold out but disappointed

    One might not think it strange that a free concert was booked solid but just because it is free doesn't mean people will take advantage of it.  I learned that when our church had a few hot dog supper for the community and no one came.  The truth is we could have sold a lot more than we gave away.  Anyway, David Jeremiah had a free  service at the coliseum Thursday and I enjoy David Jeremiah.  I heard him speak live in Myrtle beach at the annual "Singing at the Beach' a few years back and I still remember his message.  But Thursday night was a night to forget, for sure. 
 
   I believe music should always honor God and reflects His truths.  I am not about to speak for God and even propose what type of music God likes to listen too but I have never seen drums listed among the instruments used to praise God in the scriptures.  One song claimed that the singer was God's friend because god was his.  Friendship implies equality and I just don't feel comfortable equating myself with God. God is my creator and the bible instructs us to fear God and tells us plainly to fear Him who can take both body and soul.  Oh I know there is a hymn that says "Oh what a friend we have in Jesus" and I love that him.  The difference is that hymn isn't putting us on an equal footing with God but giving God the glory for all the wonderful things that Jesus did for us when He died upon the cross for our sins.  The song does not imply that the singer and God are best buddies. 
  
     The music I suffered through because I came to hear a message from God and to give praise to Him but instead the sermon was nothing more than a book promotional speech.  Yea, I purchased a book because it was on a topic I was interested in and I had looked into buying the book earlier but at $39.95 for the book from Amazon I thought I could find equally as good a resource at a much better price.  At the meeting I purchased the book for $20.00 while the music was going on. 

   What I did enjoy was the Fellowship meeting last night.  It was in Albemarle which was a long lonely drive through the countryside in the piedmont of North Carolina and the preachers there were pastors of small churches for sure.  No one there will ever pastor a mega church or even draw a crowd at a free event but then again they are preaching the word of God and not trying to sell books. 
There is no compromising on the translation of the bible they use, on the type of music that is sung, and no personal agenda to be promoted.  They don't talk about their wife and kids or brag about what ministries they are involved in.  They just preach the gospel.

   There was one preacher there from Kenya who oversees 7 churches and several different programs and only receives support of $250.00 a month.  I would much rather support him than David Jeremiah. 
   Don't get me wrong.  I am not putting down David Jeremiah or his ministry.  If one can reach people and allow God to save their souls then they have my support.  I'm not disappointed and non supportive of the ministry of David Jeremiah: I'm just disappointed that the opportunity to inspired thousands of Christians was used a a promotional opportunity for his new book.