Saturday, February 12, 2011

Blah

Do you ever have those days when everything is just blah - or am I the only one in this entire world who does. This is one of those days. It wasn't even that bad outside. It is warming up, the sun was fairly bright, and it is Saturday and I didn't have too much to do.

I could not sleep last night. Too much caffeine and I don't even drink coffee. I didn't go to bed until two, tossed and turned until after 4, and then that lovely lady from the last post called at 9am and woke me up. Now I am walking around in a fog, did not shower until after noon, did not get dressed until after three. I fixed breakfast, again it was after noon, and I have done a few loads of laundry. I have dough rising in the bread machine, dishes rinsing in the dishwasher, and I am complaining to a not so very vast audience of blog readers while watching The Lake House for the umpteenth time.

I am angry with my husband and he hasn't done anything wrong - no more than normal anyway. I am angry with my grandchildren who live here and they too have not done anything to warrant it. I am angry with my daughter, my daughter-in-law, and about ninety percent of the people I go to church with. I am even angry with the dog and she has stayed out of my way all day and as far as I know, not left me any surprises anywhere.

So what is wrong with me. I am tired, I am moody, my sock keeps getting bunched up at my sore toe, and I got a letter today from the local sheriff telling me I have to report for jury duty. I don't have my lesson ready for the kids tomorrow, I don't have my Sunday School lesson read for the adult class, and I just found out I don't have any boneless chicken for the alfredo I was going to make for dinner to go with the aforementioned dough rising in the bread machine. I would like a glass of wine and I don't even drink.

It is Valentine's weekend. I have ordered a book for hubby that I know he wanted. I am waiting to see if hubby remembers and gives me something too. What I would really like are the things I asked him for at Christmas; a bottle of sparkling cider, a night of passion, and a new mop. These things costs less than $10, cheap date, right? And surprisingly enough he remembered what I asked for this year. The unopened bottle of sparkling cider is still in the pantry, and I found the mop outside my bedroom door one morning a few days after Christmas. All that is left is the night of passion so he wouldn't have to buy me anything at all. But then why be disappointed for the second time.

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Church Member Who Cried Wolf

We have a really irksome woman who attends our church. Surprise, bet you don't have one of those! Anyway, she calls us constantly wanting us to pray for this person or that person, for this illness, that catastrophe, this broken relationship, that lost dog. You get the picture. I am not saying that she shouldn't, this is the pastor's job isn't it. However, when she calls it is mostly about how these requests affect her. "I just don't know how I can stand anything more." "My plate is full enough." "I don't think I can help anymore." "Well, I have something more I have to deal with." Sometimes I just want to ask her if she thinks these things are hard on her, how does she think the person who is going through them feels? Yesterday she called four times with requests; a friend's daughter who was taken, seriously ill, to the hospital (I just can't loose her, she is like a daughter to both of us) - however, no one accompanied the "daughter" to the hospital. The daughter was admitted but walked out because she did not like the roommate.

Did we know anybody who would like a dog - kennel and carrier included (I won't be able to sleep until I find this dog a home). Did I know the name of that church that so-and-so came from (I just have to find my friend a new church - I know the friend and she is quite capable of finding her own church and most likely just wants to find one where they will cater to her and she will treat anyone who befriends her as her own personal servant). Please remember the woman I work with who is so sick (I just don't know how she will be able to deliver all those papers today and there is nothing I can do except sit here and worry about her and make myself sick).

In most cases the requests are things she has heard about - not directly involved in - so she really has nothing to do with it nor does she know that much about it. She just thinks she has to be in charge, she is the only one who can get anything done, or she is the only one who know how to do anything, the doctors can't do anything without her to show them how. I am sure the hosptials are ready to throw her out by the time the patient is cured.

Granted, prayer for anybody never hurts and I am happy to do that, so is my pastor hubby, but she makes them into a life or death situation and wants us to stop everything and call everybody we know to pray and chances are the dying person is on their way home (their earthly home not the Heavenly one) before we finish the calls. Like the woman who was being rushed to the hospital with either a heart attack or a stroke - to a hospital 75 miles away. Now there are three hospitals nearby and about a dozen between us the hospital 75 miles away and if she needed to be rushed, wouldn't they take her to a hospital nearby. The woman was not even admitted.

These calls always come with a lot of sighing, and urgency, and sobbing, and stress, and I am sure wringing of hands and pacing the floor. She called me one day and asked what I was doing and before I could think I told her I was just doing the laundry (which I was). She then proceeded to tell me about a man in my town who had severely hurt his leg and needed a ride to the hospital. She sounded so hysterical I asked for his name and address and told her to tell him I would be right there. She then told me he couldn't leave just yet as his wife had a doctor's appointment and he had to take her because she didn't drive. I think I muttered something about letting me know when he was ready to go, which he did not as I think it must have dawned on him that if he could drive his wife to the doctor, maybe he could swing by the hospital on his way home.

Once she called and told us her favorite cousin had died - one she had not seen in many years who lived about ten miles away. She wanted hubby to come to the viewing that night to comfort the family and so she could show him off as "her Pastor". The cousin had his own church and pastor who would be there and he had been "her Pastor" at one time but she just didn't like him anymore.

I don't mean to sound callous about this and I believe whole-heartedly in prayer and helping others but one day she will call, her request will be real, she will need "her Pastor" to help her through it, prayers will be needed, and we will be hardened, we won't really hear what she is saying.