On the Surface

In the past four months, I have heard these true stories from the people involved - none are 2nd hand tellings, each has personally told me their story:

B & T's teen-age son tried to commit suicide.  He told his mother, "Mom, you have no idea how rough it is in school these days."

R & S's 20-something daughter is an alcoholic.  She was nearly killed in an horrific accident recently.  She has lost two jobs.  She gets sober for awhile, but can't maintain it for long.

M & M's son returned early from his mission to Germany.  He admitted to his mother what she had long suspected...he was gay, which in itself was not the bitter cup, but that he was abandoning his faith to embrace the gay lifestyle.

C's husband lost his job.  He was the top salesman in the company and earned a great salary.  The firing came totally out of the blue.

J's husband has been addicted to pornography since he was 13 years old.  His father mortgaged his home to send the adult son/father of 4 to a very expensive recovery program costing over $40,000 for one week of treatment.

Each of these couples has/is facing major issues that have caused pain, heartache, sorrow.  And yet, each of these five couples can be seen on a weekly basis in their LDS congregations.  Each of these couples demonstrates - to me - the power of forgiveness, hope, and most of all FAITH.

I admire them for their courage, their honesty, their openness, their goodness, and their commitment to family and the future.

I am also, once again, reminded how each of us walks a path that is often marked with difficulties, but there is forever hope in the power of the Atonement of Christ.

The sun continues to rise each day and bring that hope to us all.

Costco, Thy Name Is Frustration!

Oh, they are smart.  They have it down.

And, they are so good at it.

Here's what they consciously do:

1  MOVE STUFF AROUND.
Except for the bathrooms and the freezer section, things move.  Today, I frantically went in search of my favorite SOBE drinks.  It has almost always been right THERE where I knew exactly which aisle to go down.  NOT THERE.  So, I had to go down almost ALL the food aisles.  It was back in the very back corner where the paper products have been for months.  Oh, now that is sneaky making me go down all those aisles.  Could it be they want me to see something and on the spur of the moment, put it into my cart?

2.  PROVIDE NO SHELF LABELS.
Every grocery store has signs overhead proclaiming: Ketchup, dog food, bread, etc.  Not Costco...they number the aisles, and those numbers have absolutely NO meaning to the average customer.  So, a shopper is forced to go down each aisle in search of a giant bottle of pickles that no family on earth would ever possibly consume.  And, while looking for the pickles, of course the shopper is going to pick up huge amounts of other vast quantities of food that will spoil on the shelf at home.

3.  PROVIDE NO ONE TO HELP FIND THINGS.
Oh, sure, there are people at the end of every food aisle, but when you politely ask, "Could you tell me where the pickled pickles are?  They used to be right down here, but they seem to have been moved?"  The helpful lady/man always will say, "I am not an employee of Costco.  I just demonstrate food, so I have no idea where it is/was/or will be in the future!"  Once again, the shopper finds herself going down every food aisle in search of the item....hmmmm, I think I'm seeing a pattern here!

4.  SELL THINGS IN SUCH HUGE QUANTITIES THAT IT REQUIRES A MOVING VAN TO TAKE HOME A WEEK'S SUPPLY OF FOOD.
So, normally RAH and I don't need 278 cookies to have around to snack on, but if we shop Costco, that's what we get.  Or, 56 individual pizzas that will turn to caked ice before we can possibly consume them.  Or 37 tomatoes for a salad we will eat once this week?

What genius marketers they are.

SO, then, why do I always go back for more?

Because I'm no genius shopper....

Random Sunday Thoughts

I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

I know that prayer changes things.


I so enjoy mingling with the women in Relief Society.

I am impressed with the many beautiful families in our neighborhood who take their children to church so faithfully.

I feel deep gratitude.

I Thought You Were Genuine.....

L.E.A.T.H.E.R....

that is.

And, then, the real YOU (plastic) came forth.

Oh, I loved you.

But, sadly, I cannot love a fake.

Good bye, red purse.

And It's Not Even From the Wal*Mart Files

Ha! Ha!

This picture caught my eye from a news article on the Kentucky Derby.

It totally looks like something from the pictures of what people wear to Wal*Mart.  Not the lady's outfit, but definitely the man's suit....

Now, that is a killer suit!

But, hey, who am I to make fun; he's going in the millionaires row, so he probably doesn't ever have to shop at Wal*Mart.

And, the confidence required to wear a suit like that.....

Good for him.

Balancing Act

It's not easy.

Being a mom.

When one child may be riding high, another may be prostrate with grief.

So, what is the mother to do?

She has to balance the showing of joy for the one child, with the feelings of compassion and sorrow for the other.

Many, many years ago, Judy said to me,

"You can never be happier than your least happy child."

I have thought of that statement so often over the years.

It describes so perfectly the balance of emotions a mom has as she shares the: joys, sorrows, disappointments, heartaches, triumphs, losses, failures, achievements, struggles of each child, collectively and individually.

For me, it's always there, the weighing of happiness and sorrows.

And, I'm always thankful when the joys can take center stage and there are brief respites when everyone is on the happy spectrum.

And, when the challenges come, I am grateful to know that the sun eventually does come out.

Like Mother; Like Daughter....

but this is ridiculous.....

WE BOTH GOT PICKED UP FOR SPEEDING THE SAME DAY!

Fortunately, we were both just warned.

She was speeding to a game, I was slowing down for the town ahead, but didn't slow down fast enough.

Ah, we stick together, even in driving fast.