Serendipity Sunday: Thankful for the Laborers

It has been over a week, and I am still thinking that I have had my fill of seeing butt cheeks, crack indentions, spandex, and fit people for another four years...

Yep, I enjoy watching the Olympics and rooting for the underdogs, hearing inspiring stories, and feeling the pride as the American Anthem is played.  I am a PROUD American! 

I STAND to show respect for her citizens, and no, I have NEVER been taught to place my hand over my heart when the anthem is played, so get over THAT, but I have been taught to stand, remove my hat, keep my mouth SHUT, and reflect on my life that I am so blessed to have.

We are not perfect, because we are made of a country of imperfect people, but I STILL feel proud.

As we pause for a moment on this long weekend to remember the LABORERS, I want to give a Shout Out of Thanks to every single person that works to keep the wheels turning.

We sure do complain when we don’t get good service, or service that we THINK we deserve, but I am too afraid to think of what would happen if You or I were in charge, because, I read your posts…

It takes ALL of us, working together and doing the best we can.

We MUST allow others the same respect.  Sure, it would be nice if everyone had the same work ethics or abilities, but we don’t. 

We MUST allow others to do the best they can.  Making rude remarks, clearing our throats, humming and hawing does NOTHING to improve a situation and it makes US look like the fool!

BE KIND…BE PATIENT…BE ENCOURING…HELP…Speak words of kindness…slow down…think about how YOU want to be treated…realize that it PROBABLY is not all about YOU, that there are other people in the world, and you are only ONE small piece of a HUGE puzzle.

I was raised by a Father who worked 52 weeks a year, 7 days a week, but NEVER did I hear him complain.  He taught me that when things broke, then it was just “payment coming due” for the time that it worked without fault.  Oh, how I am trying to remember that, my sweet Daddy.

My parents never complained about the money we needed.  They did whatever they could to ensure that we had every opportunity available to us, and did what they could to make sure we got to participate.  Daddy joked that when we were young, he couldn’t keep change in his pocket, but as we got older, his pocket was filled with change, but his billfold was empty!  I laughed as he would jokingly put out his hand for “change” when he sent me to purchase something, and how I would do the same to him, when I asked him to get something for me.  So much fun we had!!  Not only did they NOT complain, but gave thanks for what we had, and shared whenever it was asked, or needed.

I am thankful that I had parents who didn’t complain about people, about how we were being mistreated, or got poor service, or talked about people or teachers, or constantly shared about their every ache and pain, their having to wait for us to finish a task or event…I am THANKFUL that social media was not in my childhood, because I would have missed out on friendships and gathering at the homes of family friends. 

I am thankful for the work ethics I was taught…that ANY job worth doing was worth doing well…that I was not expected to be PAID for every act of kindness I did…that doing for others was important and expected, for those with much are expected to give more…that there is no way to out give God…that I am expected to use my talents for the community and for others…that I am to say PLEASE and THANK YOU and to really care about others…that it is NOT all about me…that I am to share…to live by the Golden Rule…that God will ALWAYS provide and will ALWAYS KEEP His promises…that GOD is the center of all and the head of my life…

I am grateful that I was PUSHED and yes, MADE to do things that I didn’t want to do.  I learned that sometimes, we must do things we don’t want to do.  I learned that I was able to do more than I thought I could.  I learned that I don’t like doing some things, but that I DID like doing other things.

I am Thankful that I was taught that no one is beneath me.  Yes there are people who do not value the things I do, but NOBODY is inferior to me.  ANYONE who works an honest job for honest pay is to be valued.

I am thankful that I was taught that MONEY was not the only reason for me to work.  When I accepted my first job in 1984 for $10,000 plus housing, I complained to my Daddy as I was trying to decide what to do.  He looked at me and said, “I wish I could be guaranteed $10,000 every year.”  I was ashamed. NEVER did I ever complain about the money I made, and YES, I think I was over-paid for some of the jobs I did.  Thank you, Daddy for showing me by example.

Father God, my prayer, today, is one of gratitude.  I am blessed with gifts beyond monetary value.  I am thankful and humbled.  I pray for those who work with physical and emotional pain, and I pray for health for them.  I pray for those who struggle, even though they are doing the best they can.  I pray for those who are selfish, that their hearts will be touched to find importance in things that really matter. I pray for those searching for employment~~send them WHERE they belong as a part of Your Plan.  I pray that I will always feel compelled to go the extra mile, as a reflection of YOU and of your love for me.  Thank You, God, for your loving watchcare over me.  Bless all of my internet friends and make their homes safe and beautiful harbors of Your Grace…It is in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and My Lord and Saviour, that I pray, Amen.

I am simply blessed to create~~charlotte

Serendipity Sunday

Bee Humble

Bee Kind

Bee Joyful All the Time!

These words have been running in my head for the past week.  I even awakened with these words in my head and vowed to get this put into a pattern TODAY.

I LOVE the message.

I have also been obsessed with the seeds that we are planting.

As I have stated dozens of times, I was raised by a Mother who did NOT believe in coincidence.

These two thoughts that have been running in my mind, amongst the clutter o’ crap in there, have given me great encouragement to be better.

I am working, oh, so hard, on removing the “clutter o’ crap” from my mind and filling it with ideas, messages, and words of GOODNESS, KINDNESS and HOPE…

I want to be a beautiful flower who BLOOMS with possibilities.

I want to plant SEEDS of KINDNESS…HOPE…GOODNESS…POSSIBILITY…

Choosing BLOOM as my “word” of 2016 has caused me great pause in many areas of my life.

I have spent time contemplating WHAT it is that I want.

My “wants” have changed greatly, in some ways, since being a kid of 21 to an “old maid” of 53, BUT at the basis of my desires, I SIMPLY, like most everyone else, WANT TO BE HAPPY.

I CANNOT buy into, nor WILL I buy into this “crap” of America NOT being great.  Can we improve?  You bet your bottom dollar, we can, and should, But to imply that we are not great, is WRONG.

NOTHING I do or say will ever make one bit of difference in the world, as a whole, BUT it is making a difference in me, and by CHANGING ME, I am changing my little corner of the world, and WHO KNOWS, maybe those seeds I plant will grow MORE beautiful FLOWERS of peeps!

As I scuttled to meet deadlines this week, I found myself, again, THINKING what I want to accomplish with designing patterns.  I joked that I KNOW I will never be a BIG BRUSH, but I do hope, in some way, to be a small 20/0 Liner in this decorative art world.  I have absolutely no desire to travel teach, or to be “famous”, I just want to spread JOY in my little quick and easy designs, and to spread the message that there is PLENTY of room for all of us and that ANYONE who wishes to paint, CAN paint.  I don’t want to be in the middle of “You STOLE my design” or “THAT is my idea” or “don’t PAY to have someone cut your wood because THAT is wrong”, “You DID NOT pay to teach this”…sigh…

DON’T send me nasty comments, because I think, I know as well as anyone, about Copyright, but at the end of the day, is THAT how you want to spend a chunk of your time SCREAMING and sending nasty VAGUE COMMENTS across social media???  I ALSO understand this being a livelihood for MANY artists, and I UNDERSTAND that everyone deserves to be paid, BUT again, at the end of the day, You will NEVER change one single person who THINKS they are entitled, and THAT applies to the designer as WELL as to the customer.

Let’s face it…THERE are ONLY so many ways to paint a SHEEP….to paint a SNOWMAN…to paint a SANTA…to paint EYES…to paint a HOUSE…and on and on…WE ALL are THIEVES who steal our ideas from the MASTER DESIGNER!  WE copy His work each time we lift a brush, and you don’t hear HIM complaining…NO, He encourages us to go “deeper” and to “learn from HIM”…

AND again, I understand, IF you came up with an ORIGINAL and UNIQUE idea, then YES, you SHOULD be able to get your due credit, but ONCE an idea is put into SPACE, it is out there to take on a life of its own…SO, We must ALL decide how we want to spend our time…

AND HEY, in MY WORLD, a 20/0 liner, although small and unassuming, is one of the most important brushes an artist can own!  ROFL…NO, again, I am NOT saying I am ALL THAT and a BAG OF CHIPS, but I AM important, because GOD created me in HIS OWN IMAGE, and that makes me pretty special, AND makes you JUST as special.  WE ALL are SO VERY LOVED!

So, Today, I give GREAT THANKS for the ability to paint—in my own style—in my own way—on my own level—through my own eyes as I see things.

Also, I give GREAT THANKS for those who have encouraged me.  Susan Kelley of PUDDLES OF PAINT has been a great help.  Her kind words and suggestions of improvement mean so much to me.  To take time from her busy schedule, means so much.  Yep, I am certain I have caused her more confusion that she deserves, but sometimes we NEED someone to slow us down!  ROFL….ok, that is my story and I am sticking to it!

And that brings up another thought in my head.

Last night, I did my monthly grocery shopping at Walmart.  The cashier was an older lady, whose skin was wrinkled from the sun.  She was SLOW.  I kept feeling empathy for all of us as we waited and for those behind my VERY FULL buggy.

BUT as I thought about the moment, I realized that there was absolutely NOTHING for me to get angry about.  I DID NOT need to run to FB and tell everyone what a HORRIBLY SLOW cashier I had and how WALMART needs to get its act together, and on and on…PLANTING SEEDS OF ANGER…

AND yes, I realize many of you will say ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW? 

No, hang with me for a moment…

The cashier, as I said, was an older lady.  I can only make assumptions that she has probably had a life filled with struggles, as I concluded by the lines on her face and her working at an older age, BUT then, NONE of that MIGHT be true.  IT is simply MY analysis.  I spoke to her and asked HOW she was doing.  Her face brightened with the most BEAUTIFUL SMILE I have ever seen.  SHE RADIATED JOY.  I watched as she would struggle to find the bar codes, but she would find them and carefully bag the items.  I asked her jokingly, if it was HOT enough for her, and again, that beautiful smile appeared.  I sensed she was NOT a BIG MOUTH like me, and I decided to not chat and confuse her, and simply helped to keep the items on the belt in order and to get the bags into my cart.  I smiled at her, and at the others who stood in line, as I wondered WHERE are we going in SUCH a hurry at 10:45 at night?  SERIOUSLY??

She was lovely.  She did a good job.  Yes, I think she did the BEST SHE COULD do.  Here is my question:  WHY is it so frustrating for us to accept someone’s BEST as inferior?

THIS is HOW I think we can make our COUNTRY GREATER—accepting people as PEOPLE.  WE are in a rat race to be the BEST…the FASTEST…the FIRST…

We have thrown these unrealistic standards onto our poor, sweet children and our expectations, while well-intended, have children NOT getting to be CHILDREN…

We extol the “good ole days” as we YELL and SCREAM at each other to HURRY UP…We don’t take time to KNOW each other…SOOOOOOOO…

TA DAH…

As my Serendipity Moment of the week, I want to give THANKS for that sweet little lady at Walmart, who gave me the biggest, brightest and most beautiful smile that I have seen in a long time, for ALLOWING me, YES, giving me an opportunity to STOP and THINK for just a moment about HOW we treat those who give us their best.  This unexpected blessing to be reminded that LIFE goes too quickly is a lesson I, again, needed to re-learn.

When we are STOPPED in traffic, instead of worrying that WE will be late, give THANKS for the moment to sit and BREATHE.  There is not one single thing your anger will change except for making yourself sick! Also, think about the person who caused the stop~~PRAY for them and the responders and for the families…be THANKFUL you are safe…and REMEMBER, things HAPPEN and sometimes you have to plan better and leave earlier.  Oh, HOW we HATE to be reminded that WE MAKE MISTAKES, too!  Oh, how we LOVE to point that old proverbial finger at others who CAUSED our frustration.  Oh, how we HATE to be “called out” for planting “seeds of hate”.  I promise, in 10 years, you will probably not remember that moment…

When you get behind someone taking too long, at whatever it is that YOU are doing, talk to the person behind you, if there is someone around.  Take that moment to BREATHE and give thanks for ALL the blessings that YOU have…LOOK around you and SEE what is in your little corner of the world.  I can almost promise you that you will SEE something you haven’t noticed before.  Fill your mind with POSITIVE thoughts...get rid of those ugly thoughts that have no place, other than to SPUR you on to GOODNESS…

BLOOM…BE in FULL BLOOM…LIVE your life in FULL BLOOM…Plant Seeds of kindness…of JOY…of HOPE…of TOLERANCE…

BE a REFLECTION of HIS LOVE…~I am SIMPLY Blessed to create…charlotte♡

I finally wrote the pattern for this piece that has been sitting around for probably 2 years, maybe more, maybe less, but it is now In my etsy shop (click here to magically appear there!)—both the original piece and the pattern!  The pattern includes 3 small bonus projects, too, because, THAT is a kind thing to do~~LOL

Serendipity Sunday

My Serendipity moment was quite Simple and Just occurred.

Charcoal and I shared part of a bag of Cotton Candy.

It always transports me to a simpler time and place~~the County Fair.

This is true on both accounts~~we used to only be able to get Cotton Candy at the Fair, now it is everywhere.  AND life is NOT fair, but it goes both way~~we get good things, more than we deserve, but we don't complain about them.  We also, get bad things, often more than we deserve, and sometimes exactly as we deserve, and boy, howdy, do we complain, BUT it is just called LIFE!!

I loved going to the fair with my family, and we spent most of the week there as my family volunteered with 4H and the Home Demonstration Club.

I loved walking through that ole tobacco warehouse with my parents, eating that sticky sugary goodness as it got on my face and hands in our humid heat...it was magical!

We saw and chatted with folks we saw often, only at this time of the year. Laughter filled the air...it was the goodness of society gathered for a week of merriment! 

As people gather this weekend with family and friends, I hope everyone pauses to REMEMBER...

Teach your kids that on Monday, we REMEMBER  those that gave their lives through Military Service

REMEMBER the families who are left only with memories...

REMEMBER that it is because of them that we get to live in a land of plenty...

REMEMBER...

As we were enjoying our treat, the words of the song I share at the end were singing in my heart.

God is THE MASTER DESIGNER...

Look at all those blessings in plain view of you and REMEMBER how much you are loved!~~charlotte ♡

Master Designer by Kurt Kaiser

Cotton candy clouds, so fluffy and white,

Who put you there in a sky of deep blue?

Or do you just happen to float along,

Pretty and white in a sky so blue, so blue, sky so blue?

Tall mountain, deep valley, fast river, cool stream,

Show grandeur and majesty in some grand scheme

All of these wonders that we behold,

Are only a part – it cannot be told, be told, cannot be told.

  

Master Designer, Whoever You are,

All of this beauty both near and afar

Can’t just have happened, the odds are too great,

There must be a plan, we’re not left to fate, to fate, not left to fate.

All of this beauty is far too convincing

Master Designer, Your word must be true,

Of all Your creations man is the dearest

Help me to simply believe now in You, in you,

Believe in You.