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The good: went on our weekly pilgrimage to WalMart. Our local store is usually a disaster and I get a moment or two of panic when surrounded by screaming children, rude folks and people whose IQ seems to be the same as their shoe size. We decided to head over to Tiftonia (yes, that is a real place) to the newer store. It is clean, open aisles and the clientelle seems to be more upscale. I'm not a snob, just don't like rude, loud, obnoxious people while I'm trying to decide between White Cloud or Charmin. Hubby and I always go through the toy aisle to see if anything new catches our eye. To be honest, we go down the Barbie aisle to see is there is anything new. I have quite a collection. Most of the ones I like are the ones made in the image of real people. They are never taken out of the box but joinn their sisters on special shelves. (I may need to add more shelving units soon.) To get down to the "must haves", I look for new "I Love Lucy" dolls by Mattel. I have them all. They are discontinued when sold out and if you find them on E-Bay they cost an arm and a leg or your first born. There she was! A brand new Lucy just out of the storeroom and being placed on the shelf! I got one and gently placed her in the top part of the cart so as to avoid damaging the box. After all, when I die someone very fortunate will inherite my Lucy collection! That, my friend was a good day.
The bad ones come along, too. I'm carrying some stuff on my shoulders that I really should put down on the side of the road and let God take care of. I guess I assume He is too busy and needs me to shoulder these burdens. I think about Teacherwoman and the things she is dealing with so bravely. I think about Bonehead as he still sits in jail with no word or hint of things to come. I think of some of the dear people whom I only know via the blog and the things they are going through. I miss those people who have left me and gone on to Heaven to wait for me. Sometimes I miss them with an ache in my heart that I cannot describe so I just take it to my quiet place and deal with it alone. That's just the bad days. They go away.
The ugly happens, too. Pets and children are abused, families are killed by other family members, people have no jobs and turn to crime to pay bills or provide food, we hear nothing but negative on every news media. I am on my soap box about one particular ugly event. The "Men's Mission" in Chattanooga have been evected from the building they have been in for as long as I can remember. What do these people do???? All night parties with dancing and booze and loud noise? NO! They take in homeless men and give them a warm meal and a place to sleep and clothing to keep warm. They reach out to people that some folks turn their eyes away from so as not to see the "less fortunate". I guess it is to avoid guilt because they have so much and cannot believe there are people who have nothing. We have a closet cleaning a couple times a year and take clean clothing in good shape to this mission. I make sure things are clean and on hangers. They act like I've presented them with the keys to Fort Knox! I always leave that place with a feeling of joy in my heart that some man will put on a good shirt and pair of pants/jeans and can look like every other man in town. Sometimes this gives them a boost and a little lift to their step. Now they are kicked out of the building. Guess what is going to happen to the site? Oh try gessing it will be torn down to make more parking areas for the other businesses in the area (which by the way is not in the upscale part of town). More parking for the liquor stores, markets that are usually fronts for things other than milk and bread and a bag of chips.
Don't stop me now...I'm on a roll! The Salvation Army (bless them!) have offered housing for the Mission. It has a large room for the clothing, a room big enough for the cots and warm blankets, and even a kitchen for the volunteers to fix the warm meals provided to those who are in need. This is temporary. But they have a place!
Let's end this rant on a "good" note. Someone has left the Mission a building. Someone who has chosen to remain nameless. It is basically just a hull and requires a lot of fixing up. People all over the tri-state (Tn/Ga/Al) are voluteering services. One of the men at our church will take his crew in for the electrical work. Another group will do the carpenter work. An appliance dealer is giving the necessary kitchen products. People have come to the aid of this deserving Mission! Why the outpouring of charity? Because the local birdcage liner ran a story about the Mission being closed down. It was the usual negative story about the mission in the "bad" part of town and would lead you to believe it was good that they were leaving. Ah Ha! People have risen to the occasion to help someone! Donated their tallents and time to a worthy cause. Betcha don't read about that in the paper or catch it on the local TV stations. That's OK. We know what is being done and word of mouth will travel fast. I hope karma will cause good things to happen to those who give of themselves!
So there you have my Good/Bad/Ugly rant of the day. Just remember, whatever kind of day you are having...hang in there. If it's good, enjoy every minute and bask in the sunshine. If it's bad or ugly, it will change if you just give it time.
Mz Scarlett...This one's for you, Grumpy.
