Childhood memories are a powerful force. I'll remind you of a film that usually is given the top spot in 'greatest films of all time' polls.....Citizen Kane.....where the protagonist after a wild life of riches and fame....lies on his deathbed and utters one word....'Rosebud.' Most of us know by now the meaning of that word in the film.
I'll wax a little personal in this Christmas post....as sometimes I seem to just have to talk to somebody even if I don't know them. I was raised in a one-parent home where my mother hardly had enough money to put food on the table and pay the bills. The lights and the telephone were turned off often....and bill collectors were not uncommon. Those experiences stuck with me like Super Glue on balsa wood. Life as an adult was different as there was always money for a new car or vacations and all the books I wanted....but there were a few occurrences over the past week that oddly brought back some of those older memories.
A small check from an insurance company was sent to me by mistake and I didn't think a whole lot about it....until the company that it was supposed to go to called....and an uneasy feeling of a bill collector came back momentarily to my mind. Then tonight...with the banks closed....and I behind as usual....trying to get a handful of crisp $10 bills to give to some kids for Christmas....and no money left laying around the house after a week of shopping.....had to try to cash a personal check at the grocery store. The manager was very accommodating and wished me Merry Christmas with a smile....but that pang came back on trying to cash a personal check for my mother in my youth when there may or may not have been funds to cover it in the bank.
Well I'm thankful for those two pangs from the past....although two is probably enough....for I never want to forget the blessings that God has given.....not only for money in the bank today.....but also for those times without money....for the experiences proved valuable later in life..
Note: As it so happened....just this morning I have to have an emergency home repair that will cost about $600...and once again I thank God that I have only to write a check....but most of America does not have money in the bank or a 401k as backup on unexpected expenses. President Trump probably tweeted three or four times this week alone how the stock market set a record.....but when it goes down for a week....as it had recently.....he'll say as he did then....."I don't pay attention to the stock market." What a despicable liar this man is....but we refuse to hold him accountable....or contemplate replacing him as our 2020 nominee....for just look at the stock market....and 'O but look at the job statistics'....but apparently few of us have experience on how you can have a job....for years and years....and still struggle with the basic necessities of life. Donald Trump actually leads us astray in the areas that we are in most need of help....a humble dependence on our God and our benefactor over our entire existence as a nation. Woe are we....conservatives and evangelicals....for we sold our heritage for a mess of pottage.
I'll wax a little personal in this Christmas post....as sometimes I seem to just have to talk to somebody even if I don't know them. I was raised in a one-parent home where my mother hardly had enough money to put food on the table and pay the bills. The lights and the telephone were turned off often....and bill collectors were not uncommon. Those experiences stuck with me like Super Glue on balsa wood. Life as an adult was different as there was always money for a new car or vacations and all the books I wanted....but there were a few occurrences over the past week that oddly brought back some of those older memories.
A small check from an insurance company was sent to me by mistake and I didn't think a whole lot about it....until the company that it was supposed to go to called....and an uneasy feeling of a bill collector came back momentarily to my mind. Then tonight...with the banks closed....and I behind as usual....trying to get a handful of crisp $10 bills to give to some kids for Christmas....and no money left laying around the house after a week of shopping.....had to try to cash a personal check at the grocery store. The manager was very accommodating and wished me Merry Christmas with a smile....but that pang came back on trying to cash a personal check for my mother in my youth when there may or may not have been funds to cover it in the bank.
Well I'm thankful for those two pangs from the past....although two is probably enough....for I never want to forget the blessings that God has given.....not only for money in the bank today.....but also for those times without money....for the experiences proved valuable later in life..
Note: As it so happened....just this morning I have to have an emergency home repair that will cost about $600...and once again I thank God that I have only to write a check....but most of America does not have money in the bank or a 401k as backup on unexpected expenses. President Trump probably tweeted three or four times this week alone how the stock market set a record.....but when it goes down for a week....as it had recently.....he'll say as he did then....."I don't pay attention to the stock market." What a despicable liar this man is....but we refuse to hold him accountable....or contemplate replacing him as our 2020 nominee....for just look at the stock market....and 'O but look at the job statistics'....but apparently few of us have experience on how you can have a job....for years and years....and still struggle with the basic necessities of life. Donald Trump actually leads us astray in the areas that we are in most need of help....a humble dependence on our God and our benefactor over our entire existence as a nation. Woe are we....conservatives and evangelicals....for we sold our heritage for a mess of pottage.
