Happy New Year! 2009, Here We Come!
Well, the black-eyed peas, cabbage and other greenery have us all fixed up financially for the New Year, right? Tough times should soon be over according to the legends of the cabbage and peas. Oh, my, I just realized I forgot to put the silver dime in the pot! (What happened last year?) The celebrations are waning, but not forgotten, the decorations are put away, the house is eerily quiet, and the last sprig of not-so-fresh cedar and pine have been returned to the earth from whence they came. The mailbox now contains fewer cards; in fact, only one lone greeting card has arrived in our mailbox the last day or so. It was from my faithful friend, Barbara Erwin, who lives in Kentwood. For the past 20 years Barbara has sent me a greeting card for every occasion, without fail. Yes, I’m talking every occasion! New Year’s, Valentine’s, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Birthday, Christmas … and I’ve probably missed some. Not only does she do this for me; she also faithfully sends cards to many others who have moved away, or are confined to their homes. She remembered Bill’s mother, Anna Belle, before she died. It was such a thoughtful thing to do, and isn’t that a wonderful ministry? So, thank you, Barbara, for the cute New Year’s card, and for the countless other reminders from you that I am loved and missed! I still miss you and Frank, too! Lest I not give Frank proper credit, he came to my rescue one night back in the fall of 1988. Mini version: Bill had moved to South Carolina; I was still living at Four Acres, and the hot water valve popped off my hot water heater and began flooding the room! The rest is history. Maybe I’ll tell you the unabridged version one of these days.
Also, of interest: one of my Christmas gifts was a nice gift certificate from my sweet husband to Belk’s – you know, the nice big department store that’s everywhere you wanna be nowadays? I just love gift cards - especially the way they always fit, and the color is always perfect, too! So, with all the gloom and doom talk about the uncertain economy I decided the prudent thing to do was to spend it immediately, just in case Belk should meet its early demise as many other retailers have done. Any excuse to spend will do, right? Well, I did just that. I decided that I would do some early 2009 family Christmas shopping with my certificate before all the clearance stuff was gone. Wasn’t that the ultimate in selfless, sacrificial giving? I’m still waiting on my gold star for goodness. As my friend in Baton Rouge says, “I just wanna be a blessin’.”
At any rate, when I was all done with my purchases, to my amazement the tally on the sales ticket held wonderful news! I had saved a total of $171.76! That’s One Hundred Seventy One Dollars and 76 cents! (Note the “s” on cents. If you live in Lancaster, SC you have no clue that the plural of cent is supposed to include an “s” on the end of the word. I must research the cause and cure of this phenomenon.)
Due to my exhilaration over this extremely good news, I somehow lost or misplaced my alleged savings of $171.76! Reflecting on this, I wondered how on earth this money was missing! Why, the amount was for even more than the original certificate! I promise you the clerk did not return any money – at all, and I’m even more certain that it was never in my wallet in the first place. So, it begs the question: where did it go?
My immediate dilemma - before this issue prescribes under South Carolina statute: should I sue? Your opinion really matters to me. Surely, there is some legal standing for Belk’s failing to say that “if you had paid the full price of each item, you would have saved ….” Granted, being affiliated with law firms for a total of 36 years in Louisiana and South Carolina may have inadvertently affected my way of thinking, although ordinarily I am not a litigious person. But $171.76! What would you do? I mean, these are tough times, after all, not to mention the fact that I am emotionally and irreparably scarred for life for having been so built up, and then so ruthlessly let down, with little or no regard for my feelings! Plus, since I don’t think I have mesothelioma, please let me know if you can recommend other trustworthy legal counsel who might be hungry enough to take my case. But wait. There’s more. If this litigation should result in a verdict in my favor, including court costs and other fees, I will next tackle those merchants who claim that one size fits all! Talk about the ultimate consumer fraud heaped on us plus girls! And I will not forget to render your referral fee.
Well, enough of this for today. It is now 2:07 p.m., and I suppose I should get out of my robe and get back in the real world! (Retirement is so wonderful!) Seriously, I do wish for you, all my friends, a wonderful 2009, which is loaded with new opportunities for us to make a difference in this crazy world.
Finally, I’d like to share a very simple story that was flying around during Christmas; whether it is true or not, I don’t know, but the message is still powerful today: I do not know the source:
Subject: The "W" in Christmas
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row - center stage – held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love." The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of first through sixth graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "C H R I S T W A S L O V E"; And, I believe, He still is.
I also believe that Christ was Love and He still is, and I hope you believe, too! Happy New Year everyone!
Velta
Also, of interest: one of my Christmas gifts was a nice gift certificate from my sweet husband to Belk’s – you know, the nice big department store that’s everywhere you wanna be nowadays? I just love gift cards - especially the way they always fit, and the color is always perfect, too! So, with all the gloom and doom talk about the uncertain economy I decided the prudent thing to do was to spend it immediately, just in case Belk should meet its early demise as many other retailers have done. Any excuse to spend will do, right? Well, I did just that. I decided that I would do some early 2009 family Christmas shopping with my certificate before all the clearance stuff was gone. Wasn’t that the ultimate in selfless, sacrificial giving? I’m still waiting on my gold star for goodness. As my friend in Baton Rouge says, “I just wanna be a blessin’.”
At any rate, when I was all done with my purchases, to my amazement the tally on the sales ticket held wonderful news! I had saved a total of $171.76! That’s One Hundred Seventy One Dollars and 76 cents! (Note the “s” on cents. If you live in Lancaster, SC you have no clue that the plural of cent is supposed to include an “s” on the end of the word. I must research the cause and cure of this phenomenon.)
Due to my exhilaration over this extremely good news, I somehow lost or misplaced my alleged savings of $171.76! Reflecting on this, I wondered how on earth this money was missing! Why, the amount was for even more than the original certificate! I promise you the clerk did not return any money – at all, and I’m even more certain that it was never in my wallet in the first place. So, it begs the question: where did it go?
My immediate dilemma - before this issue prescribes under South Carolina statute: should I sue? Your opinion really matters to me. Surely, there is some legal standing for Belk’s failing to say that “if you had paid the full price of each item, you would have saved ….” Granted, being affiliated with law firms for a total of 36 years in Louisiana and South Carolina may have inadvertently affected my way of thinking, although ordinarily I am not a litigious person. But $171.76! What would you do? I mean, these are tough times, after all, not to mention the fact that I am emotionally and irreparably scarred for life for having been so built up, and then so ruthlessly let down, with little or no regard for my feelings! Plus, since I don’t think I have mesothelioma, please let me know if you can recommend other trustworthy legal counsel who might be hungry enough to take my case. But wait. There’s more. If this litigation should result in a verdict in my favor, including court costs and other fees, I will next tackle those merchants who claim that one size fits all! Talk about the ultimate consumer fraud heaped on us plus girls! And I will not forget to render your referral fee.
Well, enough of this for today. It is now 2:07 p.m., and I suppose I should get out of my robe and get back in the real world! (Retirement is so wonderful!) Seriously, I do wish for you, all my friends, a wonderful 2009, which is loaded with new opportunities for us to make a difference in this crazy world.
Finally, I’d like to share a very simple story that was flying around during Christmas; whether it is true or not, I don’t know, but the message is still powerful today: I do not know the source:
Subject: The "W" in Christmas
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row - center stage – held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love." The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of first through sixth graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "C H R I S T W A S L O V E"; And, I believe, He still is.
I also believe that Christ was Love and He still is, and I hope you believe, too! Happy New Year everyone!
Velta
I have thought this matter over, and I do not think that you should sue Belk for the missing money.
I miss you tons already! I'm glad we got to have lots of togetherness in December, though. Are you sure you can't move to Charleston?!? Me and Elisa need you down here!!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Love, Stacy
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Hi Aunt Velta,
You know, even some of us "lawyers" aren't very litigious either. I'd rather settle this matter amicably over a cup of coffee. How about coming to Illinois soon so we can do just that. Robert and I miss you both.
Love, Rosie
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Hi Rosie!
Thank you for "representing" me in my conflict! Let's do make a deal over some good strong coffee! I'd love another good visit with you and Robert. Thanks for checking in .... hugs to both of you! Stay warm! I love you,
Aunt Velta
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