In Place or Out?

I work in an office building with an underground parking garage. It's a well-kept building, very clean and tidy. I park whenever possible in the same spot (as many people do). I rarely see trash, but when I do, I'll pick it up and place it in the handy receptacle just outside the elevator vestibule.

Last week though, I noticed a screw on the floor. A bright shiny brand-new screw. Near my Mariner, which is about 18-months old, so there shouldn't be any screws falling from it -- even new-looking screws. I thought it might have fallen from something vital and be needed by someone. So I moved it to the side next to a wall (out of tire range) and left it. I've seen it there every day, a brand-new screw, very capable of holding something together, or even serving as a bit of ornament with its wide shiny head. But somehow it fell out of place -- long before its expected end of service time. Was it in the wrong place at the beginning, not properly tightened or should it have been re-tightened from time to time to ensure permanence in the assigned spot?

How many of us have fallen out of place? How many spots have I been slotted into, but either didn't get the straight start, didn't fit properly or just fell out because I wasn't properly or periodically tightened? In my 50 years I've gone through a few "lives" .. (listed here and deleted on second thought) .. so I wonder .. am I finally in the right spot? Did God mean for me to jump around as I have done in my life? Was I meant to be a stay-in-place solid screw or an itinerant screw, periodically finding a new spot to fill .. a spot where I can be of service or ornament?

What about you? If you were a screw, what would you be holding together and how long? What have you fallen from, and why?

Adjusting

The big move was six months ago today.

We're still adjusting.

But at a company event recently, another couple talked of their adjustment issues .. their move was more welcome, and longer ago, and they're still dealing with adjustment.

So I think we'll survive.

Work is finally  more like the old normal rather than the pressure cooker it has been for the last year. I love what I do, and what our company does for not only our clients but the world as a whole. I suppose I've always been an idealist of sorts: The jobs and activities that give me the most satisfaction are those that are service-oriented: holistic, organic, giving, helping others. The eight months I spent as a shopping mall marketing director were torture, even though I enjoyed parts of the job: deep down inside I knew that luring people to spend money on unnecessary things was wrong for me.

But God had placed me there to learn a bit about about facility management and dealing with those who take care of large places like malls and schools and such. He had a plan.

He has a plan now. I'm willing, Lord, to be part of Your plan.

Sometimes I wish I had a clearer vision of what that is.

Book Review: Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

This review is late. There’s a reason. I hate to write a so-so review, or a bad review. So I kept coming back at this book, trying to like it. Sorry. Just not going to happen. Unfortunately, I’m a long-time mystery/suspense/police procedurals fan. James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club mysteries are on my reading list. If I played poker with the two series, Hand of Fate is a pair of deuces. Patterson’s series is three of a kind, if not a full house. Sorry folks .. I was really looking forward to this book. Many former reporters are among my favorite authors, and I like the premise. Just couldn’t get over the déjà vu feeling.

I am a Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Blogger and this book was provided to me at no charge for a review. I’ve read many a wonderful book by this publisher, and plan to read many more.

God is GOOD!

As you know, we're about two and a half months into our new life in the big city. Weekend before this was spent in our hometown at a wonderful wedding. We had a marvelous time with family and friends.

That, with a very busy period at work, coming out of a dreary winter and combined with the normal progression of stages of dealing with big change, made me a basket case this week. I've seldom, if ever been lonely in my life .. I have God, after all.

But this week I've felt so far from those I love that I was pretty teary, even at work .. very unusual for me. I even posted a whine on Facebook. And I believe strongly that my "face" on Facebook should be positive and uplifting. Of course I received nice messages in reply .. but God, again, acted:

My sister called unexpectedly Friday afternoon: she had come to the metroplex to shop, and though she didn't want to come by the house, she was kind enough to hang out at a shopping center on my way home from work until I could get there. We caravanned up the road to a couple more stores she wanted to hit and were able to visit and explore them together. That alone made a huge difference in my attitude.

While caravanning with Sis, Son called .. he's back in Texas from his overseas assignment .. five months early. He'd come visit on Saturday. Daughter and Grandson would be coming to the metroplex Saturday evening as well, to stay for Spring Break. We couldn't make it work for all of us to be together, because of previous engagements with their dad and his family, but we'd all get to visit at some point. Son had to leave Saturday evening. We'd try to all get together on Thursday.

Hubby and I ran some errands Saturday morning .. a little uninterrupted, non-distracted-by-TV-time .. very nice.

Son called to check on Saturday schedule .. he'd see us about 2 p. We wouldn't see Daughter until Sunday.

Son/Daughter's dad called .. "why don't you and your hubby just come have dinner with us, Son/Daughter/Grandson/Stepsister/Family?"

Why not? Well? We went .. had a great time. God brought all us together in one home, showed us His amazing grace and restoration .. brought friendship where once there was pain, and made a beautiful mosaic of what was so broken.

He showed me, with no question, that He is here with me, even in the midst of this huge metropolex.
And today, while I raked leaves in the sun to the serenade of a mockingbird, I thanked Him for His grace, His mercy, His lovingkindness. Praise Him!

Old dogs .. er broads .. can learn new tricks!

In my world of PR/Communications, the new buzz is all about social media. What I haven't noticed anyone really stressing is that social media = multi-media. The worldwide-web isn't solely comprised of cleverly-worded phrases set in pretty typefaces with strategically-kerned headlines. Social media requires quick, concise messaging, intriguing links, tweets, retweets, forwards, and even, gasp, video.

I've managed to avoid learning HTML. My video-editing skills go back to 3/4 inch tape cassettes .. and unfortunately haven't completely kept up. I've used digital video editing equipment, but very little, and that was too long ago.

Up until the last couple of days that is. After months of hoping somebody else would do this, I bit the bullet and dove in (how's that for mixing metaphorical cliches!) I ground my teeth, clenched my jaw, bit my lip til it's swollen, have a splitting headache and a sore tailbone, but by golly, I posted three new videos to the company YouTube channel, added a link to the FaceBook fan page I created, and then Twittered the link .. Success!

Videos, I might add, that I had to learn to "capture" "cut" and "export" to the right file type (and had to figure out the right file type" using software I'd never used before this week .. softwre that is much less than user-friendly. Oh, I had to print and bind the manual for it too .. and I'd never used that binding machine before either.

This ol' broad is kind of proud of herself tonight. Tired, but satisfied. I can still learn new tricks, and enjoy doing so .. what's to come next? God only knows, and He has a great sense of humor. Can't wait to discover what He has in store!

Reconnecting

I'm the first to admit that I don't do a good job of keeping in touch with people. I dislike phone conversations for the most part, have all but quit writing letters or sending cards (something I used to do well), and actually rarely even email. Pretty much, if you're not on Facebook, I don't know what's going on .. not too friendly of me. But Facebook has helped me reconnect with a dear old friend from my (last) college days. She's the only friend not connected to work down here in the metroplex. And she's great at connections.. persistent at sending holiday cards and making the occasional phone call over the last nearly 20 years since we walked the graduation walk at MSU together.

Still, we haven't seen one another in about 10 years., and that was a quick visit.

Today was finally the day! Cindy cleared her schedule (not easy for the busy mom of four, ages 2 to 11) and came to see us. We talked, laughed and reconnected for a couple of hours .. the kind of time spent together that too many people don't have any more. I can't wait to see her again, and to get to know her family.

I cherished today, and again, praise God for sending people to me who like me (love me even!) for who I am, take me as I am, but positively encourage me to be better. I have been blessed with wonderful friends in my life, and it's time to start showing my appreciation. Cards and letters coming up!

Two and a half months .. wow, time has flown.

In this time, I've made eight or ten round trips between Iowa Park and Dallas/Plano, and one one-way trip.

We moved.

But we're not completely moved.

We have too much stuff. It's not an uncommon problem, but apparently there's not a large percentage of the population here in Plano who feel the need to have a home shop (or two) like we had in Iowa Park.

So we still have shop stuff in Iowa Park.

Oh, and yard stuff too. Some of it is here. Most of it isn't.

Oh, and everything is still in the attic.

But except for what's in the attic, and one red and blue old buffet cabinet and a single oak dresser, the household stuff is in Plano. Most of it's unpacked. Books and decor stuff are still in boxes.

I have to buy a book case or two. And after the handyman finishes repairing the misstep he took on our ceiling (he poked a small hole and made a fairly large crack when he missed a joist or rafter or some such thing in the attic), I'll decorate. Doesn't seem like the thing to do, to decorate and then have to take everything down and wash it if the acoustic spray gets out of hand, which acoustic spray is wont to do.

So the walls are bare. I'm pretending it's inspirational.

I'm looking for inspiration everywhere as I adjust to this different life.

God's been good about supplying inspiration and encouragement. A kingfisher sitting on a fence by a pond, some beautiful sunrises, and a few random acts of kindness.

Thank you Lord, lead me on!