The Cowboy

My daddy sent me this text in an email. I thought it was worth posting.

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One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn Bible.

The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed in expensive clothes and accessories.

As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.

As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship." The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.

The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged Jeans, shirt, boots, hat and Bible. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored. The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church." "I did." replied the old cowboy.

"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping here?" asked the preacher.

"Well, sir, God told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said He'd never been in this church!"

A Knock at the Door

You guys know I never put links in here. This one is worth it. Do your heart a favor. Look at this one. Please.

I can understand Elvis better now

Yes, as the title says, I can understand Elvis better now. Especially after this tax mess. He reportedly told The Colonel and his daddy, "Just give the government half of everything then we won't get in trouble." And pardon me, but as my beloved daddy would say, isn't that a helluva note? FIFTY PERCENT folks. That's about what it all adds up to. Thanks for all your advice on recouping and handling my accountant. My soon-to-be-ex-accountant that is. Poor old Elvis looks as befuddled as I feel, doesn't he?

Oh hell, it's ONLY money. Now, when I count my blessings, I am not living over in Israel or Lebanon or Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm not living in some oil sheik's harem either waiting on his sorry attention either. (laugh at this please). I'm not living where the tsunami just hit and I didn't take the cruise on Carnival where the ship turned on its side. (Now see, I don't do cruises because of this - think Poisiden (yeah it's misspelled too) Adventure and Titanic) No, I am blissfully camped out in my pjs with the power company outside thoughtfully trimming off limbs so my power doesn't go off. Isn't that nice of them? The dogs are sure appreciating it let me tell you. It's giving them something to bark about for weeks. My kitten is quite enjoying these dogs making fools of themselves howling. Oh, and David? Thanks for telling me that I had dueling songs going in here. I wasn't REALLY trying to drive you guys crazy. OK, I'm starving. I guess I better go back on the generic cereal now that the IRS has got me.

Peace

Where to start? How about with a little good news? My aunt and uncle seem to be doing a bit better over my cousin's suicide. It's been rough going for them, but they seem to be making peace with it. I'm glad. I was so worried for my uncle in particular.

How about a little not so good news? My CPA made a mistake on my income taxes. THREE letters from the IRS. It stinks. I'm mad at him. I had to write a check which just goes to show you that my paranoia about the windfall is accurate. You ain't safe ever.........no matter how much money you got!

We just had layoffs at my company. I want to know how all these managers in high paying jobs manage when they are cutting the worker bees? And how MANY people should a manager manage? LOL.......

My mom's car and mine are all fixed. She's having some health problems now. She is having surgery next week. More of the not so good news. This health thing has given her a license to call me three times a day. And....she's screwed up her financial situation pretty bad. I am helping her out but she's not the kind of person you can give much money to or.....well, bless her heart......she's not so good financially. I had her all set up with a great financial person, and suffice it to say, she was influenced by an outsider and undid everything I had done! She just wants someone to handle it all for her, and unfortunately, these days, you can't do that. There's no "forgetting" it. You have to maintain an active role or you'll be robbed.

I've been watching reruns of Medium. I want my bed back. I don't care if it looks like a garden bench from The Home Depot or not. I like that rustic bed. I'll write about it when it comes again. Don't you know my interior designer is going to freak out when I tell her I want it again????

Random Thoughts.....

This week has brought some real meditative moments for me. Good and bad.

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On Wednesday, I had a meltdown with a friend at work. I just felt so underappreciated. I work as my customer's and company's advocate 24/7/365. I don't think I'm the ONLY one who does it, but I felt like the only one. My friend helped calm me.

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This week, Benjamin Hendrickson, Emmy Award winner from the daytime show, As The World Turns, committed suicide. It brought back memories of my cousin's tragic death. Even more hurtful was reading the "boards" about his death and suicide. The callusness of the human race really pains me at times.

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I surprised Walt's parents with brand new bedding for his room. His mom had been telling me that he needed it and not to get me to buy it either! I picked it all out myself. He had been at camp for three weeks. She called me to tell me that he slept for twelve solid hours!

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Miss Belle, the ballerina, met a famous person at her camp this week. I can't divulge who it was but suffice it to say she had her photo made with this person who loaned her a CROWN to wear in it!

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I'm going to begin the process of hiring a housekeeper this week. I am tired of doing it all myself.

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My air-conditioner in my NEW car broke on the HIGHWAY in the HEAT this week. So did my MOTHER'S. Are the AC gremlins through yet? P.S. I think my Service Advisor might have been drinking on the job. It scared me.

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I cooked dinner alot this week. It was very satisfying.

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I've missed posting.

God Bless America

A small dinner party

Amazingly, my mother hosted a small dinner party last night. The food was really good! I was almost a little surprised -- not because she's not a cook - just that she's out of practice. I sent into the kitchen "behind the scenes." Bless her heart; she has pots and pans that I remember as a child. I'm debating buying her a new set, but I wonder if she holds onto those things somehow clinging to the past. It really was a lovely dinner. My mother is full of surprises.

Something sweet

Ever find out something really sweet? Quite by accident, I found out that my mother still says a blessing before every meal. Most of you won't find that unusual. In my world, people seem to have lost the habit of thanking God for their nourishment. It turns out my mother has not. In fact, her exact words were, "Thank you God for my Sugar Pops for breakfast."