Yesterday was the after Christmas shopping day with my mom and sister and of course the "teen girls". We all love it, but it was truly hustle and bustle. I can only thank Jesus I didn't have anything to return! The return lines were just terrible. After going to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and having to sit by the rear exit of the restaurant, I was freezing! Open, close, open, close, and so forth went the door for the entire 30 minutes we were there. So we hit a couple of stores and then I asked my sister to go ahead and drop the girls and I off at the Paducah, Kentucky mall. Mom and my sister needed to go into another store, so my sister was glad to drop us off. The first place I wanted to go was Starbucks for a hot coffee just so I could feel my fingertips again. Of course..a line! 20 minutes in the line I wait for a tall (medium) coffee and then I hear my name...the coffee handed to me..I am smiling.... I can just taste the yummy delicious hot nectar in my mouth...until I notice its a small.
Should I say anything..I will only have to wait that much longer? Yes, I will say something.. I paid for a medium...the injustice of it all! So I say once "Sir?"...nothing..."Sir!" (with more pizzazz)...nothing....then I creep on down towards the register pushing pass the other customers..."mam!"....she looks up slightly irritated...."um..is this a medium?" I ask.....she replies"No.".....she reaches to get the cup, and the look of just pure irritation was written all over her face. My response.."Thank you for this." All the while trying to smile at the sour face in front of me...she turns and says nothing. Another 10 minutes pass...the young man again yells my name and with a sullen look blankly states, "Its a medium." I paid for a medium, and such as it is I do not like confrontation, but darn it.. I paid for a medium! Breathe, breathe...I will check out the sales since I now have my medium coffee..my fingertips are beginning to regain warmth, and I have some Christmas money screaming out "Sales!, Sales!" What sales were to be found...this was after all the day after Christmas..all the "Semi-annual Sales" signs were plastered everywhere. But to no avail...the sales seemed to be the only thing at the mall that was missing? Who knew? I did find some good sales in only a couple of stores. So I take away from this shopping experience that I can't control anything..absolutely nothing, not Starbucks employee's or semi-annual sales, but I can control me.
So today was just a relaxing day at home.It began when I awoke to a beautiful scene of snow covered hills and trees here in the Shawnee Forest. It was just one of those rare amazing mornings of the white covered branches and flurries gently falling from the sky. The kids all tucked in their beds and the wood stove up and cranking the heat out. A nice beginning to a nice day. I cleaned the house after eating breakfast and having coffee with my hubby. I just spent the day doing what needed to be done. Did anything life altering happen today...no. But it was one of those days that God reminds me to slow down a bit. Its okay to slow down and enjoy the surrounding beauty, get things done that needs to be done around the home stead and just.... be. I fixed a fried chicken meal tonight that my family just adored me for and doing that for them makes me feel really good inside. How can we be still and know that He is God...when we don't take the time to be still? How can we hear His small still voice when we can't calm our thoughts and hearts long enough to hear what He wants for us each day? How can we live a full abundant life that He promises when our spiritual walk with Him is on our terms? These are things that I am going to be observing in the upcoming days. Today is a good day to just be still...had I not, I would have most certainly missed the amazing sunset tonight (the above photo is of my back yard).
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