Sunday Notes and Other Stuff

Good Sunday Morning!!!

Our morning started out rather abruptly and emotionally-charged.  I'll tell you about that later.  I could not WAIT to "get to church" (even though it is on our computer), and hear what Pastor Hagee had to say today.  I don't know what his title was, but I would call it "Where Are You" or "Lost and Found". 

He talked about that scripture in Matthew 16:26 where Jesus said:

"For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

The message was about how much the CHURCH and THE WORLD have intertwined with each other so much that you can't even tell the two apart. 

Pastor Hagee went to Austin to attend the signing of the new law by Gov. Rick Perry that puts restrictions on Murder Mills -- Oops, I mean Abortion Clinics -- in the State of Texas.  He talked about what boldness it took for the representatives in the State of Texas to uphold that new law to their own detriment in the next election.  Sometimes, I think I want to move to San Antonio so I can attend the actual church, and be in a State where there are still some congresspeople that remember we HAVE a Constitution.

Hagee said the purpose of the church is to "comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comforted".  He was referring to Christians doing NOTHING other than waiting for the rapture or death, and how God gave us the great commission to tell the world about Jesus.  He said you can either please God, and offend the world, or you can please the world and offend God.  And, of course, that is my platform as well. 

As always, if you would like to hear a good sermon, you can go to www.GETV.org.  I LOVE that church, and I wish all my grandkids, great grandkids and great-greats and forever could attend their school.  It was voted #1 in the nation in some category.  Sorry, I don't know the school lingo.

And back to my morning.

Well, it actually started yesterday morning.

You know we are "under construction" in one place or the other most of the time.  I get so stressed out from it, and Jerry and I both just want to S C R E A M, but we know that does no good at all. 

The latest crew is a family consisting of Grandpa, Son and Grandson.  Grandson is 20-ish and all the things we don't like about the younger generation.  I will say he has no body-piercings or tattoos that I can see, so I have to UNgroup him from that bunch.  Rudeness and laziness top the list, however.  Dad and Grandpa think he can do no wrong, and he basically watches others work while he texts, smokes cigarettes, walks around and drinks a lot of Red Bull, Gatorade and other beverages I have never seen before.

The last time they were here, which was one day last week, Grandpa -- who is 70 -- was walking around the back yard picking up very heavy trash in giant bundles under his arm and making trip after trip around to the side of the house to park the trash in the yard or the back of a truck.  Darling GS stood under the new covered patio texting, smoking, drinking and just watching Grandpa work.  I could NOT BELIEVE IT!!!  I can't tell you how hard it was for me not to say something.  Dad and Grandpa would have hated me if I did, and darling GS would still be darling GS.

During the last 2 1/2 months while this patio and house-siding job have been going on, Son and GS keep having visitors.  Not just for a little while, but often -- nearly every day -- and for a long period of time.  Girlfriends and their young children -- 4ish and 2ish -- come and make themselves at home on my lawn furniture or my patio.  Other people have come by too.  I assume they are relatives.  One older lady was carrying a small child, and she was holding the child over a large machine that bends metal where Dad was TRYING to work.  I couldn't believe it!  Picture a large table saw, hammers, drills, nail guns, sharp metal pieces flying, sawdust flying.  A construction zone.  Dear GS's girlfriend was also here, and they kept hugging and kissing each other while Dad worked right next to them. 

I walked outside to take the trash out one morning, and a teenager-looking young girl came walking from the back of my house.  I didn't know WHO she was or WHY she was there.  She walked over to Dear GS, and they started kissing.  Guess it was the same kissy girl from above.

One day, I went out on my patio to put two hot dogs on my grill to eat for lunch.  I heated the grill to super hot, put my dogs on and cooked them.  I turned off the grill, and I went inside to make my lunch.  A short time later I walked out onto my patio to either eat or swing or something, and there are suddenly people all over the patio.  RIGHT in front of the grill, there are two little children, two women and Dad and GS and others in the crew.  They are sitting there with a spread brought by the women, and they are all eating.  I notice right away the two young kids right in front of the HOT grill.  I said, "Excuse me, but I need to let you know that I just used that grill to cook some hot dogs, and it is really hot.  Please don't let the children touch it."  One lady said, "Thank you", and they moved the children to the opposite side.  I went back in the house because I felt like a stranger or an intruder on MY OWN PATIO.

SOOOOOOOOOOO, leaving all the huge mistakes and redos of the project out of this story, I will tell you about yesterday, so I can tell you about today.

I was supposed to let Grandpa and sons know when our new roof got done.  Our new roof was done in one day -- by an amazing crew -- 14 of them -- and not ONE cigarette was smoked the entire day.  Jerry didn't have to tell them anything to fix and correct or straighten.  They worked 13 hours!  I told the owner of the company that he was the first contractor in 37 years to please Jerry so much that he didn't have to correct a single thing.  I will give that company a GREAT review on line.

Yesterday morning, I picked up my cell phone to TEXT the son and tell him to come back because the roof was done.  While I was texting, my fingers just kept on going, and I typed a long text asking them to PLEASE not bring anyone but employees to our home.  I told him this was our private property, and only people we hire or invite belong here.  I said it was a dangerous construction site for children, and they didn't belong here.

It was nice, really.  Jerry didn't see it until today, but even he said it was nice and he agreed with it.

So I woke up this morning, and I stumbled into my living room chair with my first cup of coffee.  Jerry says, "Well NOW, you have REALLY DONE IT, Joy!"  I have a voice message from Grandpa (he didn't call him that) you need to listen to.  He gave me his phone.

Grandpa's voice message said this: "Son called me and told me what your wife texted to him.  We are tired of your CRAP, and WE QUIT!  You can find someone else to finish that job!"

Jerry went and got my phone so he could read my text message.  (THANK GOD, it was in writing!) 

He came back with the phone, and he said, "I totally agree with you, Joy.  You didn't say anything wrong."  Well, if I hadn't been so tired and only on my first cup of coffee, I probably would have fallen off my chair in shock!

The VERY FIRST THING I DID was send Grandpa a copy of the actual text which differs GREATLY, I am sure, from what Son told him.  Son has done the same thing in the past.  He told Jerry that I said something to him that I did not say at all.  Dear GS said, "Yeah, I heard her say it."  He must have radar for hearing because he wasn't even there!

Jerry is very CORDIAL and very CAREFUL and THOUGHTFUL in his approach to most things.  He thinks things over long and slow until he figures out what to do.  UNLIKE me.  I have an INSTANT RESPONSE button that seems to be permanently stuck in the "ON" position.

Jerry wrote down all the points he wanted to talk about, and what we would need to talk about if we have to go to court.  We have already paid these people $7,000 MORE than what we owe them because they kept having to have money IN ADVANCE.  We weren't supposed to have to pay them $19,000 until the job was all done -- which it isn't -- but we have already paid it to them.

Jerry then called Grandpa.  He very nicely and professionally told him that he wants to talk face-to-face and go over everything.  Jerry told him that he was in total agreement with my text.  Grandpa said he agreed too!  Grandpa agreed to meet with us, but would have to call us back.  We have not heard back, but this is Sunday.  Jerry said he seemed very nice.  I think my forwarding my text to him was probably a real eye-opener when he compared it to what he had been told by his son.

And that is all for today. 

I'm going to start on my new SFD dress design, and I'm going to try to be happy and count my blessings even though I would like to STRANGLE son and gs right now! 

I think I owe Bernsides a hug,

however.  (-;

Hugs, Joy