Day 89 of 365 Days of Being Thankful

         Today I am thankful for my crazy cat's antics.  Olivia and I were sitting at the kitchen counter eating tuna and salad for lunch.  I let the cat in and as I was walking back to the counter stool, he jumped up and tried to eat my tuna fish.  We got him off the stool and thought he left the kitchen.  All of a sudden he comes running in from the hallway, he looked like a flying squirrel! He jumps/flys up on the counter, knocks over the colander with the lettuce and celery in it and scatters everything on the counter!  The counter was a bit slippery because I had just run the sponge over it before we ate. He was slipping and sliding all over the place.  I think he scared himself when he knocked the silver ware on the floor because there was a loud clanking sound!

Olivia and I couldn't stop laughing!  He is a nut case.  I have reduced his sale price to 2 cents! The counter was a mess.  We cleaned up after we stopped laughing! Then Olivia opened a new package of tuna fish and gave it to him because she thought he was scared and she felt bad for him. Now I have to rewash all of the silverware that was in a basket on the counter getting ready for Easter. I had just finished running the Roomba in the kitchen!  I think this cat does not like me trying to prepare early for Easter.  He ripped the plastic tablecloth and now he knocked over the silverware!  At least, he makes life interesting!

 
The week before last week when we were at church our minister gave a sermon that I didn't really agree with. Since he was quoting from scripture, I guess it didn't matter if I agreed or not.  I mean, who is going to disagree with God?   He talked about meeting evil or badness or rudeness with kindness and goodness.  He said if you meet evil with evil, you yourself become evil.  And if you meet it with goodness or kindness you just might have the other person change how they act. I was raised with my dad saying "forgive and forget, but get even first."  I have raised my kids with "turn the other cheek one time."  Someone can have a bad day and not always be in a good mood or might do something they didn't realize was hurtful so I taught my kids to give people another chance, especially if they are sorry.   However, I also told them never to start trouble but if someone comes at you a second time, give them back the way they have given it to you.   I am not a psychologist or relationship expert by any means.  I feel like if I go to church, I should listen to my minister. So today an opportunity presented itself for me to meet rudeness with kindness and I did. It was hard. A person I thought was a friend had treated me in a way I couldn't accept and our friendship had ended months ago.  She messaged me and called me in the last few days and I ignored the phone call but the voice of my pastor was in my ear so I returned her phone call.  She didn't apologize but I listened to her about her current problem she is dealing with  and I offered advice and support.  I am thankful that my pastor inspires me to be a better person.  I think the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior but I will try to be optimistic. I wasn't crazy about this past Sunday's sermon either. I think that the sermon's aren't about pleasing me but making me think more about how I act. The sermons are based on Bible scripture so I guess I should adhere to what is preached for the most part. We had a substitute minister whom I normally really enjoy. He is a very kind man.  He said that half of us would like the sermon and half of us would not.  I am in the "would not" and did not half! He spoke about all the government leaders being chosen by God.  Did God really choose Trump?? or Putin?? Or Hitler?  Or Stalin? The minister was saying that even "bad" government was better than no government! And that without governmental authority that we would all live in a state of chaos.  I am thankful that the minister gave me food for thought,  and Dan and I chatted about it.  But I don't see God's divine hand in choosing evil leaders. Maybe God just wants us all to learn from the history of our ancestors.  I don't think Americans learned enough because we put Trump in office. I voted for Hillary but I really didn't want her to win either.  I still can't refer to him as President.  I thought everyone had free will and that is how bad things and good things happen in our world. 

Our music minister is leaving.  He was asked to be president of a college where he had been teaching music courses.  He is just the nicest person ever and I am so thankful that we had him for so many years.  He is truly  a gift and has many gifts.  He told us a story one day.  He said that he had been in NY visiting friends and they all went out to dinner at an expensive restaurant.  He was the last one in the line going in the restaurant and he saw a homeless man begging for money.  So he opened his wallet and took out a few dollars and handed it to the man and walked away.  Then as he walked closer to the restaurant door, he heard a voice in his ear saying.....Really?? A few dollars? After all the gifts I have given you in life?? Really?? He said he sort of turned his foot, looked up and said OK,  and walked back towards the man, opened his wallet, emptied it and chatted with the man, asking him how he came to live on the street, etc.  I am thankful for that story because it makes me think every time I see a homeless person. Last Valentine's Day, I sent him a check for $200 and asked him to split  the money with some of his friends and to each do a good deed in my deceased daughter Amy's memory.